I had a similar dilemma, Recently multiple customers asked for the same feature, say add "login with google" in their old CGI.pm based website.
Now If I implement this for one customer does the code becomes his IP and I cannot implement it for another? Should I retype the same hundred lines for each customer or can I encapsulate the code in a library and reuse the library across customers? Even if I decide to retype it for all customers, The first implementation would take longer as I was also understanding the technology at the same time and subsequent implementation would be faster. So the first client is effectively subsidizing the subsequent clients.... Regards Vijay On Sun, Oct 22, 2017 at 12:35 AM, Brandon Allbery <allber...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Sat, Oct 21, 2017 at 5:56 AM, ToddAndMargo <toddandma...@zoho.com> > wrote: > >> On Sat, Oct 21, 2017 at 12:57 AM, ToddAndMargo <toddandma...@zoho.com >>>> <mailto:toddandma...@zoho.com>> wrote: >>>> On 10/21/2017 12:40 AM, ToddAndMargo wrote: >>>> >>>> If I write a program for a customer who pays my labor to >>>> write it, who own the program? Me or the customer? >>>> >>>> >>>> I am a private contractor. What they payed me for fixing a/the >>>> problem. They don't care how. I was wondering if they owned >>>> any of the code I wrote to fix the problem. The customer did >>>> not specifically ask me to write anything. >>>> >>>> >> On 10/21/2017 01:07 AM, Brent Laabs wrote: >> >>> This depends on the contract you signed with the customer, and laws in >>> your local jurisdiction. As such, it's probably a question more >>> appropriate to ask a lawyer than this list. >>> >>> >> There is no contract involved. The customer wants a problem fixed. >> He does not want to know how. And he is not commissioning me for >> any software. Just a fix. >> > > My working assumption in this case is that for fixing/patching existing > software, any code is subject to the original copyright and ownership; > because I am working as an agent for the customer, new stuff is owned by > the customer unless specified otherwise. > > BUT. > > If this situation comes up, you need to be talking to the *customer* about > it. It doesn't necessarily need to be a formal contract, but the final > decision should be in writing and you and the customer should both have > signed copies of it in case questions come up in the future. > > -- > brandon s allbery kf8nh sine nomine > associates > allber...@gmail.com > ballb...@sinenomine.net > unix, openafs, kerberos, infrastructure, xmonad > http://sinenomine.net > -- https://www.facebook.com/vijayvithal.jahagirdar https://twitter.com/jahagirdar_vs http://democracies-janitor.blogspot.in/
