CFC vs Founder Shield Intellectual Property Insurance

CFC underwrites and distributes an intellectual property insurance policy through what it describes as the largest dedicated IP insurance underwriting team in London, backed by specialist claims adjusters and risk management partners. ⁵Company-reported. IP product page description of CFC's IP practice.

Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Intellectual Property Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ¹³Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

The reviewed IP product page does not name the specific insurer or Lloyd's syndicate that carries the risk on this policy. CFC's regulatory page lists several CFC entities, including its own Lloyd's Syndicate 1988, that CFC uses as underwriting vehicles across its business, but does not tie a specific one to the IP product. ^5,4Not publicly disclosed. Checked the IP product page and CFC's regulatory information page; neither names an IP-specific carrier.

Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Intellectual Property Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry. It does not name the issuing insurer for this line; that depends on which carrier the policy is placed with. ⁹Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.

CFC says its IP policy is designed for businesses with turnover up to $250 million (GBP or USD) across industries such as construction, manufacturing, professional services and consultants, and will also consider turnover up to $500 million for a narrower list of industries including medical drug discovery, software development, fashion, advertising, medical devices, and machine learning. ⁵Company-reported. Industries we cover section of the IP product page; final eligibility for any given business depends on underwriting.

Founder Shield targets IP coverage at companies holding one or more patents, businesses vulnerable to competitor infringement claims, and companies at risk of accidentally infringing another party's IP. ¹²Company-reported. Intellectual Property Insurance product page.

The policy covers infringement claims involving patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets, plus costs tied to loss of IP rights or loss of profit from an IP dispute. ⁵Company-reported. Product page coverage description; exact terms and exclusions are set by the policy as issued.

Coverage is built from three pieces: defense against infringement allegations from a third party, pursuit of parties infringing on IP the insured owns or licenses, and contractual indemnity protection that can extend down a supply chain if a claim reaches a customer or downstream contract. ⁵Company-reported. Defense/Pursuit of infringers/Contractual indemnity descriptions on the product page.

CFC says it added affirmative AI-related coverage language to its IP policy in 2026 as part of a rollout across seven products, explicitly addressing exposures like AI model hallucination, AI-generated content, and model drift rather than leaving them to implied or silent coverage. ⁶Company-reported. CFC news release on the affirmative AI coverage programme; describes intent and scope of the update, not specific policy wording.

Founder Shield describes two components: defense coverage (legal costs and judgments if the policyholder is accused of infringement) and enforcement coverage (funding, with underwriter approval, to sue an infringer and recoup lost income). ¹²Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

CFC offers a non-binding IP insurance indication online, asking only for the company name, website and revenue. ⁵Company-reported. IP product page indication call to action.

You request Founder Shield Intellectual Property Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. ^13,9Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.