Our scenario is such that we have developed a comprehensive SDK, platform, tools and processes -- toolset. Our toolset enables us to be competitive with regard to time, budget, and quality. We have successfully used our toolset for our projects and we are exploring using our toolset to build software projects (SOW) for clients. Customers will need our toolset to maintain and operate the software systems we will build for them.

We do not want to lose control (ownership, right, etc) of our toolset. We do not want customers to use our toolset to build new products to compete with us.

We are thinking that a good approach would be to license our toolset to specific customers for use for specific products that we built for the customers or that the customers will build themselves.

How would you protect the IP of proprietary platform, toolset, and SDK when you have to use said toolset for contracting work or when you want to limit the scope of usage?

All your thoughts and feedbacks would be most welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks...