Quasi-property
Quasi-property has no recognized meaning in BC law; it is an obscure label from some US cases. The nearest real concept is intangible personal property: intellectual property and contractual rights are personal property, such as statutory rights or choses in action, not equivalents of real property.
How BC law treats it
Patents, copyright and trademarks are statutory rights under federal legislation, and contractual rights are choses in action that can generally be assigned. Security over these assets is taken under the Personal Property Security Act, RSBC 1996, c 359.
What it means for your business
Intellectual property can be sold, licensed and used as security for loans like other business assets.
Risks and common mistakes
Failing to obtain written assignments of intellectual property from contractors may leave your business without ownership of work it paid for.
Fulcrum's intellectual property lawyers can help with these issues.
General information about British Columbia and Canadian law, current to October 2026. It is not legal advice.
