[thelist] Client asked for original files

[Michael Pemberton]

>From: BreezyGraphics at aol.com
>Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 17:14:07 EST
>
>If you buy a radio do you get ownership of the design? No! or a car or a
>suit
>or a.......

But if I pay someone to build me a car based on specs that I have provided
(either my own work or aquired from another contractor), I would expect that
the I be in full control of whether or not someone else is able to buy a car
using these plans.

I dealt with a similar issue when I was putting together a site for a client
last year.  There had been two or three redesigns before they would agree on
a final product.  I provided a *copy* of my work, but I didn't delete it
from my own archives.

In this case, I was only working with a simple php and some small graphics
for the interface.

Does the client expect sole ownership?  Or do they simply want a copy of the
code?  Without some sort of copyright protection being aquired, there is not
much that you can do to stop them from taking the source else where.  But
getting them offside by demanding that you be allowed to keep the source
code may *garrentee* they they end up leaving you.

It can all come down to a case of trust.  If you have faith in their return
custom, then it may be in your best interests to accomodate their request.

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