Ok, I have a question. I've developed and updated a website for the past few years. This year the person I did the site for wishes to have someone else do it, they offered to do so for free. I was wondering if the design belonged to me the designer or her the content owner? In other words do I have to hand over the site so the other fellow can alter a few dates and take credit for my multi-year work? What's usually done in cases like this?
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Website transfer
- Thread starter Macura
- Start date
Its about time you think, If only I had wrote a Contract 
If you have, then its probebly defined in there what happens in such situations.
If you havent done this, then what you would have to do is negoatiate, perhaps a Originally Created by <yournaem/link to website> and hand everything over
If you have, then its probebly defined in there what happens in such situations.
If you havent done this, then what you would have to do is negoatiate, perhaps a Originally Created by <yournaem/link to website> and hand everything over
From what I remember, unless otherwise stated in a contract, you own what you create. If you created some graphics and html, those are yours and you don't have to give them to the site owner. If someone else gave you text for a website, the text still belongs to them (not the HTML though).
I think that jrbryner is generally right, that you own what you create in the sense that you could use it again when you go somewhere else. But they've also paid you to develop it, and they're allowed to keep it and use it and modify it... but not resell it.
I also think that it can vary by state, and has changed over time. (In the early 90's, I think it was New Jersey that start hitting consultants with a "code for hire" law. Whoever did it, the law makers were afraid that one bad consultant would spread terrible code far-and-wide causing a plague when a bug was exposed; or that it inherently comprimised business privacy to do so.)
But if you have no contract, you're now in a battle of words and assumed verbal agreements. Unless there's something profoundly innovative worth fighting over, it might be best for your karma, stress, and reputation to just let it go. (You did get paid, right?)
I also think that it can vary by state, and has changed over time. (In the early 90's, I think it was New Jersey that start hitting consultants with a "code for hire" law. Whoever did it, the law makers were afraid that one bad consultant would spread terrible code far-and-wide causing a plague when a bug was exposed; or that it inherently comprimised business privacy to do so.)
But if you have no contract, you're now in a battle of words and assumed verbal agreements. Unless there's something profoundly innovative worth fighting over, it might be best for your karma, stress, and reputation to just let it go. (You did get paid, right?)