Published: 5 October 2020
Current version: 1.2
Last updated: 19 August 2026
Changes effective from: 19 August 2026

Mission Diverse CIC takes the protection of its intellectual property, confidential information, proprietary materials, business assets and organisational know-how seriously.

This policy sets out the basis on which intellectual property owned by, assigned to, commissioned for or lawfully licensed to Mission Diverse may be accessed and used.

All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

Scope

This policy applies to intellectual property and proprietary materials made available through or connected with Mission Diverse, including through, but not limited to:

• this website;
• training and consultancy services;
• digital learning platforms;
• client portals;
• presentations and workshops;
• downloadable resources;
• proposals and tenders;
• internal systems;
• shared drives;
• employment;
• consultancy and contracting arrangements;
• client engagements;
• partnership arrangements; and
• any other business activity through which Mission Diverse materials are created, supplied, accessed or used.

It applies to website visitors, clients, prospective clients, employees, former employees, workers, consultants, contractors, suppliers, delivery partners, collaborators and any other person or organisation accessing Mission Diverse materials.

Ownership of intellectual property

Unless expressly stated otherwise in writing, all intellectual property rights owned by, assigned to or lawfully vested in Mission Diverse remain the property of Mission Diverse.

Nothing in this policy, the publication of material on our website, the provision of access to materials, or the supply of services transfers ownership of Mission Diverse intellectual property to another person.

Where Mission Diverse has licensed intellectual property from a third party, that material remains subject to the ownership and licensing rights of the relevant rights holder.

Mission Diverse reserves all copyright, database rights, design rights, trade mark rights, rights in confidential information, contractual rights and other intellectual property or proprietary rights available under applicable law.

Protected materials

Mission Diverse intellectual property may include, but is not limited to:

• website wording and content;
• website structure and original layouts;
• written articles and guidance;
• consultancy materials;
• training programmes;
• course materials;
• learning resources;
• workshop materials;
• presentations and slide decks;
• facilitator notes;
• training manuals;
• workbooks;
• exercises and activities;
• templates;
• worksheets;
• checklists;
• assessment materials;
• diagnostic tools;
• evaluation tools;
• methodologies;
• frameworks;
• models;
• processes;
• organisational development tools;
• policy templates;
• research;
• reports;
• guidance documents;
• tender materials;
• proposal content;
• client resources;
• scripts;
• recorded training;
• webinars;
• video content;
• audio content;
• photographs;
• illustrations;
• diagrams;
• graphics;
• infographics;
• visual materials;
• branding;
• logos and trade marks;
• digital resources;
• databases and compilations;
• business systems and processes;
• confidential information;
• proprietary know-how;
• works in development;
• drafts;
• adaptations;
• derivative materials; and
• other original works or business materials owned by, assigned to or licensed to Mission Diverse.

This list is illustrative and is not exhaustive.

Separate intellectual property rights may exist in individual components of a resource and in the overall selection, arrangement, compilation or presentation of those components.

Copyright

Copyright protection arises automatically in qualifying works. Registration is not required in the UK.

Copyright may protect original written works, web content, databases, photographs, illustrations, films, sound recordings and other qualifying materials.

Copyright generally gives the rights holder control over activities including copying, distributing, adapting and placing protected works online.

Except where permitted by law or expressly authorised by Mission Diverse in writing, no person may copy, reproduce, publish, distribute, adapt, modify, translate, transmit, repurpose or commercially exploit Mission Diverse copyright material.

Copyright notices

Mission Diverse may identify its copyright through notices including:

© “Year/Year” Mission Diverse CIC. All rights reserved.

The use of the copyright symbol, copyright owner’s name and relevant year or range of years provides visible notice that Mission Diverse asserts copyright in qualifying material.

Copyright protection does not depend on the presence of the © symbol. UK copyright arises automatically in qualifying works, and the absence of a copyright notice does not mean that material is free to use.

The date or range of dates displayed within a copyright notice does not limit Mission Diverse’s rights in material created, acquired or published at another date.

Historical copyright notices appearing on earlier versions of the Mission Diverse website or other Mission Diverse materials will be retained and relied upon as evidence of the organisation’s historic assertion of rights.

Where practical, Mission Diverse may also place copyright and ownership notices on training materials, downloadable resources, presentations, recordings and other proprietary assets.

Website use

Access to the Mission Diverse website is granted solely for legitimate personal, professional and informational use.

Access to the website does not grant a licence to copy, reproduce or commercially exploit its content.

Without prior written permission from Mission Diverse, users must not:

• reproduce substantial parts of the website;
• copy Mission Diverse website wording onto another website;
• reproduce original graphics or images;
• copy downloadable resources;
• reproduce training or consultancy content;
• adapt Mission Diverse materials for use within another business;
• systematically scrape or extract website content;
• use automated tools to create a substantial copy or dataset from Mission Diverse content;
• republish Mission Diverse materials;
• create commercial products derived from Mission Diverse materials;
• remove copyright or ownership notices;
• present Mission Diverse materials as their own work; or
• facilitate another person in doing any of these things.

Nothing prevents use that is expressly permitted by applicable copyright legislation.

Training, consultancy and learning materials

Mission Diverse invests significant professional expertise, time and resources in the development of its training, consultancy and learning materials. The provision of access to those materials does not transfer ownership.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, recipients are granted only such limited use as is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which the material was supplied.

For example, where materials are supplied as part of a paid consultancy or training service, this does not ordinarily permit the recipient to:

• reproduce them for external delivery;
• train other organisations using them;
• incorporate them into another commercial training programme;
• sell or sublicense them;
• publish them online;
• adapt them for another organisation;
• distribute them outside the agreed audience; or
• use them to develop a competing product or service.

Payment for a Mission Diverse service does not, by itself, transfer ownership of the intellectual property used to provide that service.

Employment and employee-created materials

Subject to applicable law and any relevant contractual provisions, intellectual property created by an employee in the course of their employment belongs to Mission Diverse.

This may include work created individually or collaboratively as part of the employee’s duties, whether created through Mission Diverse systems or otherwise in the proper course of employment.

Subject to the relevant employment contract and applicable law, employees and former employees must not retain, remove, reproduce, transfer or commercially exploit Mission Diverse intellectual property.

This may include:

• sending business materials to personal email addresses without authority;
• retaining unauthorised copies after employment ends;
• copying resources to personal storage;
• using Mission Diverse content in another business;
• reproducing Mission Diverse resources;
• recreating Mission Diverse website content using protected material;
• providing proprietary resources to third parties;
• using confidential methodologies externally;
• presenting Mission Diverse materials as personally owned;
• publishing Mission Diverse materials after employment ends; or
• using Mission Diverse intellectual property to establish or support a competing offering.

The ending of employment does not transfer Mission Diverse intellectual property to the former employee.

Where ownership, assignments, licences, confidentiality obligations or restrictions are expressed to continue following termination, they will continue in accordance with their contractual and legal effect.

Consultants, contractors and other contributors

Independent contractors and consultants do not automatically fall within the same copyright ownership rules as employees.

A contractor or freelancer will generally retain copyright in work they create unless ownership has been transferred by contract or another applicable legal arrangement.

Mission Diverse may therefore require consultants, contractors and other contributors to assign relevant intellectual property rights or provide appropriate licences.

Where intellectual property has been assigned to Mission Diverse, the contributor must not subsequently use, license, transfer or exploit those rights inconsistently with that assignment.

Where Mission Diverse is licensed to use intellectual property, the relevant licence terms will govern its use.

Video, audio, photography and recorded resources

Mission Diverse’s intellectual property may include recorded training, consultancy resources, videos, webinars, audio content, photographs and other recorded material.

Where Mission Diverse owns or has been assigned the relevant rights, those rights remain with Mission Diverse notwithstanding that an employee, former employee, consultant or other contributor appears within or contributed to the recording.

No person may, without appropriate authority:

• copy a recording;
• download it for unauthorised purposes;
• extract clips;
• edit or remix it;
• reproduce it;
• distribute it;
• upload it elsewhere;
• commercially exploit it;
• include it within another training product; or
• create derivative materials from it.

The presence of an individual’s name, image, voice or likeness within a Mission Diverse-owned resource does not, transfer ownership of the underlying intellectual property to that individual.

Personal data within such materials will be dealt with separately under applicable data protection legislation and Mission Diverse’s Privacy, Data Protection and Information Rights Policy.

Methodologies, frameworks and know-how

Mission Diverse’s intellectual property and proprietary value extends beyond individual documents.

Mission Diverse develops and uses methodologies, frameworks, training structures, consultancy approaches, exercises, processes, models, systems and organisational know-how in connection with its services.

The original expression, documentation, structure, arrangement, materials and implementation of such ideas may attract copyright, contractual, confidentiality or other legal protection.

Access to Mission Diverse’s work does not authorise another person to reproduce protected materials, confidential know-how or proprietary structures for commercial use.

Confidential information

Mission Diverse may hold intellectual property which also constitutes confidential information.

Confidential information may include, but is not limited to:

• unpublished training materials;
• methodologies;
• business plans;
• pricing;
• client information;
• tender information;
• proposal content;
• internal templates;
• business strategy;
• commercial arrangements;
• internal systems;
• visual recordings;
• audio recordings;
• development materials;
• supplier information;
• financial information;
• research;
• draft works; and
• other information that is confidential by its nature or circumstances.

Access to confidential information is granted only for the purpose for which it is disclosed.

No person may use, retain, copy or disclose confidential Mission Diverse information for an unauthorised purpose.

Mission Diverse reserves all contractual and common law rights relating to confidential information.

Client access

Where clients receive access to Mission Diverse intellectual property through consultancy, training or another service, they receive only the rights expressly granted under the relevant contract or licence.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise, clients do not acquire ownership of Mission Diverse:

• pre-existing intellectual property;
• methodologies;
• frameworks;
• training materials;
• templates;
• systems;
• tools;
• general know-how; or
• other proprietary resources.

Where bespoke materials are created for a client, the ownership and permitted use of those materials will be determined by the relevant contractual arrangements.

Ownership should not be inferred merely because a client commissioned or paid for a service.

Third-party materials

Some Mission Diverse materials may incorporate intellectual property owned by third parties and used under licence, permission or another lawful basis.

Mission Diverse does not claim ownership of third-party intellectual property merely because it appears on our website or within our resources.

Third-party rights remain subject to their applicable terms and ownership.

Users must not assume that third-party material can be copied or reused without permission.

No implied licence or transfer

No ownership right, licence or permission should be inferred merely because Mission Diverse:

• publishes material online;
• supplies a copy;
• allows an individual to access it;
• emails it;
• provides it during employment;
• shares it with a client;
• provides it during consultancy;
• presents it during training;
• stores it within a shared system; or
• has not previously challenged a particular use.

Any permission to exploit Mission Diverse intellectual property beyond ordinary authorised use must be expressly granted in writing.

Where permission is given, it is limited to the scope expressly agreed.

Unauthorised use

Mission Diverse considers unauthorised copying, reproduction, retention, distribution, disclosure or exploitation of its intellectual property a serious matter.

Depending upon the circumstances, unauthorised use may engage rights or causes of action relating to:

• copyright infringement;
• breach of contract;
• breach of confidence;
• trade mark infringement;
• passing off;
• design rights;
• misuse of confidential information;
• breach of employment obligations; or
• other civil or criminal provisions.

Mission Diverse will determine the appropriate legal basis according to the circumstances.

Website copying and imitation

Mission Diverse does not authorise another person or organisation to reproduce protected elements of its website for use on another website, platform, business or service.

This includes copying protected:

• wording;
• page content;
• original graphics;
• training descriptions;
• consultancy descriptions;
• downloadable content;
• resources;
• photographs;
• branding; and
• other original materials.

The extent to which particular website structure or design elements are independently protected will depend on the relevant intellectual property rights and facts.

Where Mission Diverse considers that its protected website material has been reproduced without permission, it reserves the right to take enforcement action.

Artificial intelligence and automated use

Mission Diverse intellectual property must not be used without authority to train, fine-tune, develop or populate artificial intelligence systems, machine-learning models, automated content-generation systems, databases or commercial knowledge repositories except where such use is permitted by law or expressly agreed by Mission Diverse.

Users must not systematically extract Mission Diverse materials for the purpose of recreating Mission Diverse training, consultancy, educational or commercial content through automated means.

Nothing in this section restricts any statutory exception that applies as a matter of law.

Evidence and preservation

Mission Diverse reserves the right to maintain and preserve evidence relating to actual or suspected infringement, misuse, misappropriation or unauthorised disclosure of its intellectual property.

Subject to applicable law, this may include:

• screenshots;
• archived website pages;
• source files;
• document histories;
• metadata;
• system logs;
• audit trails;
• account activity;
• communications;
• email records;
• access records;
• file-transfer records;
• contractual documents;
• employment records;
• client records;
• third-party evidence; and
• other information reasonably relevant to establishing the creation, ownership, use, transfer or infringement of intellectual property.

Relevant information may be retained where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend Mission Diverse’s legal rights.

Enforcement

Mission Diverse reserves the right to actively defend and enforce its intellectual property, confidential information and contractual rights.

The Intellectual Property Office confirms that rights holders are responsible for defending their intellectual property and may seek to stop unauthorised use, attempt dispute resolution or take legal action.

Where actual or suspected infringement is identified, Mission Diverse may take action including, but not limited to:

• investigating the suspected infringement;
• preserving evidence;
• contacting the individual or organisation concerned;
• requiring unauthorised use to cease;
• requiring content to be removed;
• requesting the deletion or destruction of unauthorised copies;
• seeking written undertakings;
• seeking information about the extent of copying or distribution;
• issuing formal legal correspondence;
• notifying relevant website hosts, online platforms or service providers;
• submitting appropriate intellectual property or copyright complaints;
• exercising contractual remedies;
• seeking mediation or another form of dispute resolution;
• commencing civil proceedings;
• applying for injunctive or other interim relief where appropriate;
• seeking damages;
• seeking an account of profits where legally available;
• seeking delivery up or destruction of infringing material where available;
• seeking recovery of legal costs where applicable;
• pursuing claims for breach of confidence, passing off, trade mark infringement or other applicable causes of action;
• reporting suspected criminal conduct where appropriate; and
• exercising any other remedy available under applicable law.

Mission Diverse is prepared to pursue appropriate legal remedies where it considers enforcement proportionate and necessary to protect its business, clients, reputation, intellectual property or commercial interests.

Copyright infringement proceedings can be pursued through the courts. Depending on the nature and value of the claim, intellectual property proceedings in England and Wales may be brought in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, Civil Court or the High Court.

Nothing in this policy requires Mission Diverse to use informal dispute resolution before taking another lawful step where urgent protection is reasonably required.

Dispute resolution

Where appropriate, Mission Diverse may seek to resolve an intellectual property dispute through correspondence, negotiation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution.

Where infringement is continuing, evidence is at risk, or urgent protection is required, Mission Diverse reserves the right to seek appropriate legal remedies without unnecessarily delaying action.

A court may expect parties to have considered attempts to resolve a dispute before proceedings are commenced, depending on the circumstances.

No waiver

A delay or failure by Mission Diverse to exercise or enforce an intellectual property right does not, by itself, constitute a waiver of that right.

The fact that Mission Diverse:

• was unaware of an infringement;
• did not immediately challenge an infringement;
• previously permitted a limited use;
• previously provided access to material; or
• previously chose not to pursue legal action

does not create an ongoing right to use Mission Diverse intellectual property.

Any waiver or permission must be expressly given and will apply only to the circumstances for which it was granted unless expressly agreed otherwise.

Duration of rights and continuing obligations

Intellectual property rights will continue for the period provided by applicable law.

Contractual obligations concerning intellectual property, confidentiality, restrictions on use or return of business information may continue following the end of employment, consultancy, contracting, client or other professional relationships where provided by contract or law.

The termination of a relationship does not, by itself, extinguish Mission Diverse’s ownership of intellectual property already vested in it.

Historical works and materials

Mission Diverse may continue to own and enforce intellectual property rights in materials created in earlier years.

The publication date of this policy does not determine the date on which Mission Diverse acquired rights in its intellectual property.

This policy may describe or clarify intellectual property ownership, restrictions and organisational practices relating to works that existed before its effective date. It does not retrospectively create ownership where ownership did not otherwise exist under law or contract.

Permission requests

Any person wishing to reproduce, adapt, distribute, license, publish or otherwise use Mission Diverse intellectual property beyond an existing authorised use must obtain express written permission from Mission Diverse.

A request for permission should identify:

• the material concerned;
• the proposed use;
• the intended audience;
• whether the use is commercial;
• the proposed duration;
• the proposed distribution method; and
• any adaptations that are intended.

Mission Diverse may grant or refuse permission at its discretion, subject to existing legal or contractual obligations.

Permission may be subject to conditions, attribution requirements, licensing terms or payment.

Reporting infringement

Suspected infringement, unauthorised use or misuse of Mission Diverse intellectual property may be reported using the contact details published on the Mission Diverse website.

Mission Diverse may investigate information provided and determine what action is appropriate.

Reservation of rights

All rights are reserved.

Nothing in this policy limits Mission Diverse’s ability to rely upon any applicable:

• intellectual property right;
• contractual right;
• confidentiality obligation;
• equitable remedy;
• statutory protection;
• common law right;
• cause of action;
• defence; or
• remedy.

References to particular rights or forms of infringement are illustrative and not exhaustive.

Where legislation is amended, replaced or re-enacted, this policy should be interpreted consistently with the rights and protections available to Mission Diverse under the law in force from time to time.

Status and relationship with other agreements

This policy should be read alongside any applicable:

• employment contract;
• consultancy agreement;
• contractor agreement;
• client agreement;
• supplier agreement;
• licence;
• confidentiality agreement;
• website terms;
• employee handbook;
• privacy policy; or
• other contractual arrangement.

Where a contract gives Mission Diverse stronger or more specific intellectual property rights than those described within this general policy, the contractual provisions will continue to apply.

This public policy does not replace or reduce any intellectual property assignment, licence, confidentiality obligation or other right already held by Mission Diverse.

Changes to this policy

Mission Diverse may amend this policy from time to time to reflect changes in its intellectual property portfolio, services, business activities, technology, contractual arrangements or applicable law.

The current version applies from its stated effective date.

Version	Effective Date	Amendments	Approved By
1.0	26 November 2022	Policy effective	Data Protection Officer
1.1	11 October 2023	Section added:  “Copyright notices”	Data Protection Officer
1.2	19 August 2026	Section added: “Client Access”	Data Protection Officer