IP Protection for Digital Replicas of Industrial Equipment: Ownership, Access and Contractual Control

Introduction : In an industrial setting, a digital twin rarely consists of a single component. It may be embodied in CAD files, executable code, models, software algorithms, technical documentation, process instructions, sensor logs and historical operating data. This layered structure creates potential ambiguities over ownership at the time of procurement. The manufacturer may own the physical equipment and certain pre-existing engineering specifications relating to it. The manufacturer may...