Comments on: Who Owns Your Website? http://www.passionforbusiness.com/blog/who-owns-your-website/ Practical tips for small biz owners Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:45:36 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Debra http://www.passionforbusiness.com/blog/who-owns-your-website/comment-page-1/#comment-6664 Debra Sat, 25 Jul 2009 04:28:21 +0000 http://paulag.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/who-owns-your-website/#comment-6664 Thanks so much for your advice. All good points to consider, thanks for taking the time to respond! :-) Thanks so much for your advice. All good points to consider, thanks for taking the time to respond!
:-)

]]> By: Karyn Greenstreet http://www.passionforbusiness.com/blog/who-owns-your-website/comment-page-1/#comment-6649 Karyn Greenstreet Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:07:19 +0000 http://paulag.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/who-owns-your-website/#comment-6649 Hi, Debra, I'm not a lawyer, so I can't give legal advice. You may or may not own the coding/content, BUT your ex-boyfriend owns the domain and the hosting account. It would seem to me to be illegal for you to "break in" to his hosting account without his permission to remove your content. My advice to you is: talk to an intellectual property lawyer to find out your rights. If you decide you want your coding back, let a lawyer handle the communications. As a coach, I would also ask you: What will you get out of this? Why do you want to do this? Why hold on to this? Would it be healthier for you to let go and move on to bigger and better things? Motivation and intention matters. Warmly, Karyn Hi, Debra,

I’m not a lawyer, so I can’t give legal advice. You may or may not own the coding/content, BUT your ex-boyfriend owns the domain and the hosting account. It would seem to me to be illegal for you to “break in” to his hosting account without his permission to remove your content.

My advice to you is: talk to an intellectual property lawyer to find out your rights. If you decide you want your coding back, let a lawyer handle the communications.

As a coach, I would also ask you: What will you get out of this? Why do you want to do this? Why hold on to this? Would it be healthier for you to let go and move on to bigger and better things? Motivation and intention matters.

Warmly,
Karyn

]]> By: Debra http://www.passionforbusiness.com/blog/who-owns-your-website/comment-page-1/#comment-6636 Debra Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:21:34 +0000 http://paulag.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/who-owns-your-website/#comment-6636 Hi! I recently parted ways with my boyfriend of 3 years(we lived together). While we were dating, but before he moved in, I spent 1000's of hours building his website, completely unpaid: no money, no gifts, barely a thank you. The website words were his, he paid for the domain name, but the unpaid work and the html coding is mine. Don't I own the work product? Especially since he didn't pay me to do it? In essence, would it be legal for me to go into his domain account and erase all of my work (the entire content of the website), since I own the work product? Thanks for any help! :-) Hi! I recently parted ways with my boyfriend of 3 years(we lived together). While we were dating, but before he moved in, I spent 1000’s of hours building his website, completely unpaid: no money, no gifts, barely a thank you. The website words were his, he paid for the domain name, but the unpaid work and the html coding is mine. Don’t I own the work product? Especially since he didn’t pay me to do it? In essence, would it be legal for me to go into his domain account and erase all of my work (the entire content of the website), since I own the work product?
Thanks for any help! :-)

]]> By: Karyn Greenstreet http://www.passionforbusiness.com/blog/who-owns-your-website/comment-page-1/#comment-5328 Karyn Greenstreet Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:04:05 +0000 http://paulag.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/who-owns-your-website/#comment-5328 Agreed, Cathy, copywriting and ghostwriting are copyright-able. Are you saying that you don't allow your clients to brainstorm or tweak the first draft of the copy you give them until they pay in full? Warmly, Karyn Agreed, Cathy, copywriting and ghostwriting are copyright-able.

Are you saying that you don’t allow your clients to brainstorm or tweak the first draft of the copy you give them until they pay in full?

Warmly,
Karyn

]]> By: Cathy Goodwin http://www.passionforbusiness.com/blog/who-owns-your-website/comment-page-1/#comment-5322 Cathy Goodwin Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:03:48 +0000 http://paulag.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/who-owns-your-website/#comment-5322 Don't forget copywriting! My agreement states that I own all the rights until I get payment in full. Then I turn over the copy and they own the rights. I also agree that clients who pay for my Diagnostic service own the Report and suggestions; they can go anywhere to implement them. Clients often don't realize that they can't tweak or modify the copy until they've paid in full. I've had clients send me drafts of revised copy, asking me to comment. I have to explain that they can't do this. On the other hand, I cringe when I see how some clients have modified my copy on their websites! It's legal but they're losing all the benefits of what they paid for. Don’t forget copywriting! My agreement states that I own all the rights until I get payment in full. Then I turn over the copy and they own the rights. I also agree that clients who pay for my Diagnostic service own the Report and suggestions; they can go anywhere to implement them.

Clients often don’t realize that they can’t tweak or modify the copy until they’ve paid in full. I’ve had clients send me drafts of revised copy, asking me to comment. I have to explain that they can’t do this.

On the other hand, I cringe when I see how some clients have modified my copy on their websites! It’s legal but they’re losing all the benefits of what they paid for.

]]> By: Karyn Greenstreet http://www.passionforbusiness.com/blog/who-owns-your-website/comment-page-1/#comment-5228 Karyn Greenstreet Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:19:39 +0000 http://paulag.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/who-owns-your-website/#comment-5228 That's an interesting comment, Paul. We always give the source files to the client. If we can't hold on to them for maintenance work or future website work via the quality of our work and/or the quality of our relationship with them, then we don't feel it's right to impede them from going elsewhere. Getting the intellectual property is always included in our website design fees, not negotiated as a separate fee. I'm not saying that our philosophy is "right" and yours is "wrong." It's just two different ways of looking at running a website design business. (In our business, website design is just <strong>one </strong>of the services and products we offer, it's not our sole bread and butter, so maybe that plays a role in our decision-making around this topic.) Plus we've had to rescue a lot of our clients who bring us websites but not the source files, and we listen to them when they say "I wish I had known!" Finally, we work almost primarily with solo entrepreneurs and non-profit charities, who often don't know the copyright laws and/or technical process behind creating a website, and appreciate when we help them to understand what it takes (technically) to put it all together. Each website designer has to decide what is right for them, just as the clients have to decide what's right for them. I honor your way of doing business and if it works for you and your clients, vive la difference! Warmly, Karyn That’s an interesting comment, Paul. We always give the source files to the client. If we can’t hold on to them for maintenance work or future website work via the quality of our work and/or the quality of our relationship with them, then we don’t feel it’s right to impede them from going elsewhere. Getting the intellectual property is always included in our website design fees, not negotiated as a separate fee.

I’m not saying that our philosophy is “right” and yours is “wrong.” It’s just two different ways of looking at running a website design business. (In our business, website design is just one of the services and products we offer, it’s not our sole bread and butter, so maybe that plays a role in our decision-making around this topic.) Plus we’ve had to rescue a lot of our clients who bring us websites but not the source files, and we listen to them when they say “I wish I had known!” Finally, we work almost primarily with solo entrepreneurs and non-profit charities, who often don’t know the copyright laws and/or technical process behind creating a website, and appreciate when we help them to understand what it takes (technically) to put it all together.

Each website designer has to decide what is right for them, just as the clients have to decide what’s right for them. I honor your way of doing business and if it works for you and your clients, vive la difference!

Warmly,
Karyn

]]> By: Karyn Greenstreet http://www.passionforbusiness.com/blog/who-owns-your-website/comment-page-1/#comment-5227 Karyn Greenstreet Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:07:19 +0000 http://paulag.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/who-owns-your-website/#comment-5227 Good for you and your husband, Robin! I believe anything that empowers the small business owner is helpful. We always suggest to our website design clients that they may want to update the text on their site themselves. There are so many choices in website technology these days: DreamWeaver/Contribute, blog platforms, CMS platforms, etc. And if the client doesn't want to maintain the site themselves, or isn't interested in learning the software tool, then delegating it to a website designer or virtual assistant for maintenance is a great way to free up your time. Good for you and your husband, Robin! I believe anything that empowers the small business owner is helpful. We always suggest to our website design clients that they may want to update the text on their site themselves. There are so many choices in website technology these days: DreamWeaver/Contribute, blog platforms, CMS platforms, etc. And if the client doesn’t want to maintain the site themselves, or isn’t interested in learning the software tool, then delegating it to a website designer or virtual assistant for maintenance is a great way to free up your time.

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