Who owns the instruments of service and what license is granted to the owner?

• A. The owner owns the instruments of service and may reuse drawings freely.
• B. The architect owns the instruments of service and grants owner a limited license to build.
• C. The contractor owns the instruments of service after completion.
• D. The owner and architect co-own the drawings with unrestricted reuse.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that the architect retains ownership of the instruments of service—the drawings, specifications, models, and related project documents—while the owner receives a limited license to use those documents for the project they commissioned. That license covers building the project and any permitted uses tied to completing and operating it, but it isn’t an open-ended right to reuse the same documents on other projects or to modify and reuse them without the architect’s consent.

That’s why the best choice says the architect owns the instruments of service and grants the owner a limited license to build. The owner does not own the documents, the contractor isn’t the owner of those instruments, and there isn’t unrestricted co-ownership with free reuse.