I am a freelance, self-employed programmer. I have worked with Company A for some years. Company A invented a clever way of dealing with data and at my suggestion I created a spreadsheet and other software to make their method easier, faster and generally more efficient to use. Although we worked on the appearance of the spreadsheet together, most of the design and all of the software code to make it work was of my making. Company A were pleased with the outcome and we agreed a contract whereby I kept the IP in the software and they paid me a royalty every time a customer took out a license. The contract could be terminated by either side with 6 months notice. This worked well for several years.

Last year Company A told me that they were negotiating to sell the business to Company B and that in all probability my role would continue, at least for a few years. Things went quiet, and after a few enquiries, I discovered that the sale went through last December - 6 months ago now. Although I understand that my role was mentioned in the terms of the sale, I have not seen any papers relating to the sale and have heard nothing at all from Company B. As far as I know, company A no longer exists as a separate entity.

So my main question is: does my original contract with Company A still have any significance now that it has been bought? I assume that I still have the IP in the software I created but I understand that Company B may not want to use it. However am I still bound to support them if they demand it, and if they do continue to license the method (and my software) to customers am I still entitled to a royalty at the same rate?

Thank you for any comments.