What tends to be disputed
The most common disagreement is over the base: gross receipts or net, and if net, after which deductions, refunds, chargebacks, taxes, and platform fees. Timing comes next, including when revenue counts and what happens to payments collected after the agreement ends. Attribution is hard when several channels touch the same customer. Some arrangements also raise questions beyond the contract, because depending on how it is structured, sharing revenue can resemble a partnership, a franchise, or an investment. Certain licensed professions also restrict sharing fees with people outside the profession. A side letter or an email changing the split can also become part of the bargain, so collect everything that touched the terms.
Building a verifiable record
Revenue sharing depends on information one side controls, so reporting and audit rights are central. The agreement should say what reports are delivered, how often, in what detail, and how the receiving party can inspect the underlying records. Keep every statement received, every payment, and all correspondence questioning figures, and note when a discrepancy was first raised, since some agreements limit how far back an audit can reach or require objections within a set period. If you are the reporting party, keep the data behind each statement and not only the summaries.
Drafting and dispute review
When drafting, we work through realistic scenarios using the numbers your business actually produces, which tends to expose ambiguities a plain-language definition hides. We also look at exclusivity, termination, and payments after termination, because a share that continues after the relationship ends is a frequent source of disagreement. For an existing dispute, we review the definitions, the reporting history, and the audit clause, then assess whether an audit, a negotiated reconciliation, or a formal claim is the sensible next step. Regulatory questions raised by the structure are better addressed before money starts moving. Agree as well on how the payments will be reported for tax purposes, so both sides work from the same figures.
