The IARC process is only necessary when Google might own copyright in the first place (those gray areas I mentioned earlier). I went through the IARC process 2

The IARC process is only necessary when Google might own copyright in the first place (those gray areas I mentioned earlier). I went through the IARC process 2 years ago for a startup I was about to found in Tokyo, and obtaining clearance was easy, as you say. It's an extra precaution to avoid future litigation, but not legally required if you keep your personal coding activity clearly and provably separate from your work activity.