Re: FN-FORUM Intellectual Property Rights on websites

date posted 14th June 2002 14:21

Hi,
Several thoughts:

1. Is the content the copyrighted property of the client (or is the
ownership specified in any 'About this site' info), or did you create
the content as well?

2. Did you copyright any or all of the code used in building the site
or did they buy the entire site from you including the code?

3. What kind of contract do you have with the client?

I normally do two things:

Make sure that contract spoecifies that all 'back-end' code used in
building the site belongs to me/my company and two, build this into
comments in the header. If the client wants the code, then try and
negotiate to sell it to them, or at least try to do a deal eg,
copyright belongs to me/my company but I give the client limited
rights to its use (eg 1 year).

Re your last point, do you have anything writing concerning the deal
you have with the client?

If you've not tied down these basics, I think you're probably screwed.

Normally, any content supplied by the client belongs to them
(assuming it's theirs to use. Cover this with a clause that specifies
that you assume copyright of content is theirs or that they've got
the right to its use, otherwise, you can get screwed!

Bill

>hello everybody,
>I have just finished a hell of a project for an organisation, a monster
>website all on my own and now that it is published the company refuses to
>give me any credit for it on it. I have said that the usual is a small
>credit at the bottom of the homepage saying 'Website designed by...', my
>name and a link to my email, but they refuse.
>
>So am I covered by some law? Is there anything to protect authors, any
>ownership issue somewhere? Sure journalists have the right for their names
>to be published, I cant even imagine a newspaper 'thinking about' whether to
>allow his/her name to be published on his/her own article or not - and
>thinking about it for more than two months now. Anybody knows about any
>universal or British (since I live in London) law that might protect my own
>work?
>
>a bit more info...
>I havent used any of my employers equipment, I have designed the whole
>website from my computer. Most of the websites that I visit have a small
>credit at the bottom 'Designed by'. Journalists have the right for their
>work to be published with their name even if they use their employers
>equipment and are not even freelance. And most importantly we never signed
>any contract (mistake but keep reading) since we agreed at the beginning
>that the best thing for me re the project since they couldnt pay much was
>all the publicity that it was going to generate. If my name is not included,
>how could this latter thing possibly benefit me?
>Thanks a lot
>D
--
Media & Communications Development and Consulting
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