19/09/2026
"Who owns the reports?"
This question comes up in many SaaS negotiations.
It’s trickier than it seems.
A SaaS report might include:
📌Customer data (their inputs).
📌Vendor proprietary content (algorithms, generic material that all customers see and templates).
📌Third-party content.
And yet, the contract will often say something overly broad like:
"Customer owns all reports."
Statements like this are an easy way to solve an obvious customer argument of “I should own the reports, I paid for them, and they concern my data”.
But factually, is it correct to say?
If you break it down into parts, a different picture emerges.
1️⃣ Customers own the raw data they provide to the SaaS. Easy fix.
2️⃣ Vendor proprietary content – SaaS company A analyzes documents and corrects errors in writing. For a specific error, say when to use an apostrophe, it provides a generic explanation as to the correct way to use apostrophes. That explanation appears for any customer with the same mistake. So can a single customer own that content? No. But they would have a limited license to use it.
3️⃣ Third-party content follows the same principle as vendor-proprietary content. Ownership is not transferred, it is licensed.
In drafting, it can feel like untangling spaghetti, but some clarity with some additional definitions can avoid a messy plate later. 🍝
