Assess whether IP is owned or merely licensed (9fde2f)
August 31, 2026 · SmartSolo
Situation
QoE add-backs the seller marked 'normalized' arrived with IT diligence showing two ERPs and no chart of accounts map for working-capital true-up analyst. That is a M&A Due Diligence Legal, IP, and Regulatory decision on IP is owned or merely licensed in a strategic buyer looking at a carve-out from a conglomerate.
Decision
Working-capital true-up analyst in a strategic buyer looking at a carve-out from a conglomerate must choose IP is owned / Merely licensed using QoE add-backs the seller marked 'normalized' after IT diligence showing two ERPs and no chart of accounts map.
Hypotheses to test
- IT diligence showing two ERPs and no chart of accounts map is noise around an already-controlled Legal, IP, and Regulatory process in a strategic buyer looking at a carve-out from a conglomerate, given QoE add-backs the seller marked 'normalized'.
- IT diligence showing two ERPs and no chart of accounts map is the event in QoE add-backs the seller marked 'normalized' that forces IP is owned for working-capital true-up analyst under M&A Due Diligence.
- QoE add-backs the seller marked 'normalized' shows a one-file miss after IT diligence showing two ERPs and no chart of accounts map, not a Legal, IP, and Regulatory program failure.
- QoE add-backs the seller marked 'normalized' cannot decide IP is owned or merely licensed yet after IT diligence showing two ERPs and no chart of accounts map; hold is the only M&A Due Diligence close a strategic buyer looking at a carve-out from a conglomerate can defend.
Analysis required
- Map reps, earnout mechanics, and integration risk a strategic buyer looking at a carve-out from a conglomerate would inherit.
- Tie quality-of-earnings, working-capital, and contingent items in QoE add-backs the seller marked 'normalized' to IP is owned or merely licensed.
- Name the document working-capital true-up analyst still needs before signing.
- For this M&A Due Diligence Legal, IP, and Regulatory file, read QoE add-backs the seller marked 'normalized' against IT diligence showing two ERPs and no chart of accounts map and write the one fact that would move IP is owned or merely licensed for working-capital true-up analyst.
Recommendation
Choose IP is owned / Merely licensed on this M&A Due Diligence / Legal, IP, and Regulatory packet (QoE add-backs the seller marked 'normalized' after IT diligence showing two ERPs and no chart of accounts map). The follow-on Legal, IP, and Regulatory action is what working-capital true-up analyst does next: implement the option, assign an owner, and log the missing fact.
Explore more
More M&A Due Diligence prompts
- Assess whether the carve-out is operable on day one (b928ab)
- Assess whether earnings quality supports the bid price (c625f4)
- Assess whether integration costs were sandbagged in the CIM (4a3647)
- Assess whether regulatory approval is a timing risk or a deal risk (b023d3)
- Assess whether to re-trade, restructure, or drop (f5df10)
Explore related decision areas
- Assess whether claimed differentiators would survive a fact check (00a766)Government RFP
- Assess whether inventory exists or is only on paper (e5b17c)Forensic Accounting
- Assess whether bonus triggers were gamed by cutoff (3e2046)Forensic Accounting
See governed multi-model AI on your own prompt
Compare GPT-5, Claude, and Gemini side by side, with human review and a decision record built in.

