Intellectual Property Policy

This policy describes ownership and permitted use of client source material, drafts, concepts, editorial structures, and final written deliverables.

1. Client Source Materials

The client retains ownership of materials it owned before the project, including interviews, recordings, transcripts, internal documents, research, photographs, existing text, and other supplied source content. The client grants Loxley Manuscript a limited permission to use those materials solely as reasonably necessary to evaluate and perform the requested work.

2. Third-Party Material

The client is responsible for confirming that it has permission to provide and use third-party material. Editorial work does not transfer rights in third-party content. Quotations, images, research excerpts, trademarks, copyrighted works, and other protected materials may require separate permission depending on intended use.

3. Drafts and Working Materials

Unpaid drafts, internal notes, exploratory language, editorial concepts, structural options, narrative maps, unused passages, and working documents remain protected and may not be published, distributed, adapted, or used commercially unless the applicable project terms permit such use.

4. Final Deliverables

Where the project agreement provides for transfer of rights in final written deliverables, that transfer becomes effective only after all amounts due for the applicable work have been paid in full. Rights not expressly transferred remain reserved.

5. Pre-Existing Methods and Know-How

General editorial methods, workflows, templates, know-how, structural techniques, non-client-specific processes, and tools used to perform services are not transferred to the client merely because they are used during a project.

6. Unused Concepts

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, concepts or approaches presented but not selected as the final direction may remain available for future adaptation, provided no confidential client information is disclosed and no client-owned protected material is reused improperly.

7. Portfolio Use

No confidential or non-public client material will be publicly displayed as a portfolio example without appropriate permission. If public work is later referenced, the nature and extent of permitted use should be agreed or should otherwise be lawful based on the public status of the material.

8. Client Modifications

After lawful transfer or licensing of final deliverables, the client may edit or adapt them within the rights granted. Loxley Manuscript is not responsible for errors, omissions, or claims introduced by modifications made after delivery.

9. Unauthorized Use

Use of unpaid, unlicensed, confidential, or otherwise restricted materials may violate contractual or intellectual-property rights. We reserve the right to request removal, payment, attribution where applicable, or other appropriate remedies.