Gavin Ailes, The Search Works, on intellectual property ownership

Byron Gordon, SEO-PR, interviews Gavin Ailes, Deputy Managing Director, The Search Works, at SES London, on the subject of intellectual property ownership as discussed on the IAB Search Council’s Search Marketing Best Practice session. Gavin says it is common business practice for a search agency to own the intellectual property when it engages in a business relationship with an advertiser. Gavin discusses the repercussions that an advertiser faces when terminating a relationship with an agency but also says common business practice dictates that when a business relationship ends the agency will relinquish acess and control over the account to whomever the client designates as the appropriate contact. Gavin also discusses the potential impact of seos offering copywriting services as part of their offerings and how this would impact the agency – client relationship.