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
