Re: FN-FORUM: I've just been ripped. :(

date posted 6th March 2008 15:14

Well the only legal matters could have been if the client has paid for
bespoke coding and then I used that elsewhere, I suppose, but I couldn't
see what leg they had to stand on when their developer had clearly
ripped my work off (work as opposed to code as back then it was pre-css
so basic html etc which everyone produced) to which they hadn't paid for.

I did feel a bit lucky as the client was desperate to get the site done
and only agreed to my terms because of this.

It was at that time I also started using contracts for everything with
50% deposit.

Lee Rickler
Director Point and Stare - pointandstare.com
Web Design and Development for over 11 years

Ben Johnson (Neogic) F wrote:
> Lee Rickler wrote:
>> I contacted the ex-client, told them I could prove it was my work,
>> they said their developer had let them down and could I finish the
>> project at which point my quote mysteriously had a few extra noughts
>> on the end.
>
> Nice work Lee! Anyone here know what Lee's legal repercussions could have
> been if the client had been less cooperative? Is there workable, effective
> legal protection of public website code?
>
> I suspect it would be difficult to enforce, even if a 3rd party rips off a
> lump of HTML/CSS. Same for private server-side source code - is this
> actually protectable (e.g., against a client running off with it without
> paying)?
>
> Cheers, Ben
>
> --
> Ben Johnson, Neogic Web Solutions
> // design . development . managed hosting
>
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