Closing a business

Can you sell the data of a company that has already closed?

Last checked 2 November 2026

Can you sell the data of a company that has already closed?
Delaware8 Del. C. 278, three years
CaliforniaCorp. Code 2010
NeedsThe records, and who owned them
Range$100K to $2M
Answer

Usually yes, if the records still exist. A dissolved Delaware corporation continues for three years to wind up and dispose of its property under 8 Del. C. 278, and California Corporations Code 2010 continues a dissolved corporation for winding up. The former officers or the estate sign.

Where the records usually are

An archived Google or Microsoft tenant, a former founder's backup, a NAS in storage, an exported Slack workspace, a server bought by a liquidator. Any of these can be enough.

Who can sign

The officers or directors winding up, a trustee or liquidator if one was appointed, or whoever acquired the company's assets with the rights attached. A buyer of the hardware alone holds the files, not the right to license them.

Why closed companies price well

The record is complete and fixed, the rights are settled, and nobody is still adding to it. A buyer prefers a finished history to a partial one.

What stays out

Anything a customer or contractor owned, health and treatment records, privileged files and anything under a hold.