CODE OWNERSHIP & VENDOR INDEPENDENCE PLEDGE
Effective Date: August 22, 2026
We believe clients should never feel trapped by the agency that built their product. This Pledge sets out our commitment to genuine code ownership and vendor independence once a project is fully paid for.
1. The Pledge
Once we've received full and final payment for a custom-developed deliverable, it is genuinely yours — not just in name, but in practice. We commit to the following:
2. Complete Handover
- Full, readable source code — not obfuscated, minified-only, or partial exports
- Reasonable documentation covering architecture, setup, and key decisions
- Access credentials, deployment instructions, and environment configuration needed to run and maintain the system (secrets/passwords are rotated to new values you control at handover)
- Database schemas and data export where applicable
3. No Artificial Lock-In
We build primarily with mainstream, well-documented, widely supported technologies rather than obscure or proprietary frameworks designed to force continued dependence on us. Our goal is for any competent developer or team — not just us — to be able to read, maintain, and extend what we build.
4. No Hidden Access
We do not retain hidden administrative access, backdoors, or kill-switches in delivered code after handover. Where ongoing support under an active retainer requires us to retain access (e.g., to a hosting panel or admin account), that access is explicit, documented, and can be revoked by you at any time.
5. Freedom to Move On
After full payment and handover, you're free to migrate hosting providers, bring maintenance in-house, or engage a different vendor — without needing our permission and without us withholding deliverables to prevent it.
6. What This Pledge Doesn't Cover
- Third-party SaaS platforms or licensed software you've chosen to build on (e.g., a proprietary CMS or e-commerce platform) have their own vendor terms outside our control
- Background IP and reusable internal tools we retain, as described in our IP & Licensing page, remain ours — though these are typically standard, mainstream technologies rather than anything that locks you to us specifically
- This Pledge applies once full and final payment has been made, consistent with the ownership terms in our Master Terms of Service
7. Contact Us
Questions about this Pledge can be sent to legal@navritu.digital.