[thelist] Re: Re: Logo design / web design

[Scott Benton]

Good point. I'm really much more of a designer than a web developer. To 
date, I've maintained control of all of the code that I've developed. 
I've never had a client ask me for finished code, so it hasn't been an 
issue. I still would consider the finished, working project the 
property of my client, who has paid for the development time. The same 
would be true if I worked for a web development company, or worked 
in-house for a client. Whatever I generated would become their property 
because they paid for it. I don't think that this should preclude me 
from keeping copies of all my work, nor would it prevent me from 
further developing the code on my own. I think the exception to this 
would be the development of any truly specialized new technology (ie., 
something patentable). Something like that would have to be spelled out 
very carefully in a contract, but I think this really pertains much 
more to application development than web development.

> That really depends if you're on the client's or the webdesigner's 
> side.
> Of course, if you're the client, then you might try to get as much as 
> you
> can. But why that, if you're webdesigner?
>
> You have to be in a *very* competitive market, if you give away 
> exclusive
> rights that forbid you to reuse and evolve design and code of your 
> current
> web projects. Or you enjoy f*ing up the market for your competitors.


With respect to photography, each piece has it's own copyright, 
independent of any ad or web site that it is used in. The license or 
ownership for this depends on the source of the photo (independent, 
stock, royalty-free, etc.).

> Why give away all the rights, if the customer can then reuse the design
> (and f* it up) for other websites and brochureware, including photos
> and artwork, and hand over the server-side code to her brother who does
> freelance webdesign for other companies?