Founder Shield vs Marsh Intellectual Property Insurance

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. ⁷Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

Marsh says it is one of the only brokers with in-house IP expertise, a proprietary IP insurance product, and proprietary relationships with multiple specialty underwriters in the IP space; MMA also lists IP within its executive and professional liability practice. ^12,13Company-reported. Marsh intellectual property page and MMA executive and professional liability page.

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. ³Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.

Marsh names Ambridge Partners as the entity backing its IP Protect product; the page does not clarify whether Ambridge Partners is the issuing insurer or an underwriting manager, and does not name insurers for its other IP products. ¹²Company-reported. Intellectual property page as read on 2026-09-23.

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. ⁶Company-reported. Intellectual Property Insurance product page.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

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). ⁶Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

Marsh describes IP Protect, a product it says it released in 2019 and that is backed by Ambridge Partners, as providing coverage for losses related to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with trade secrets available by optional endorsement. ¹²Company-reported. Intellectual property page, Our expertise and solutions section.

Marsh says it can place five types of IP insurance: defensive IP insurance (protecting the insured's own IP from external attack), offensive IP insurance (covering enforcement litigation costs), specific contingency insurance, trade secret value insurance, and IP-insured financing (securing an IP asset pledged as loan collateral). ¹²Company-reported. Intellectual property page FAQs; general descriptions, not specific policy forms.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Marsh says its IP specialists help clients identify and clarify IP risks and support development of risk management strategies addressing programmatic fundamentals, beyond just placing a policy. ¹²Company-reported. Intellectual property page opening description.

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. ^7,3Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.

Not described in the reviewed sources.