Protection with layouts.

[AlexOC]

Hey hey hey.

Couple months ago i was working with someone and made a really nice layout, things went wrong, and before i released it to them they released me. They had already seen and probably saved a few prototypes of this layout. About a week later their new layout was up which used the exact same logo and VERY similar concepts, colours and images.

I never said they could use it when working with them, only like 'what do you think of this' and after they rudely and stupidly sacked me i told them they can not use any concepts of the layouts i had partly produced.

Blah blah blah, Anyway next time, what can i do to protect myself, can i get copyright on every little layout i do? Can i make some sort of contract/agreement on paper that they sign saying they will not use any layouts or bits i show them unless i give them permission or anything...

Thanks.

[VirtualG]

Copyright cost cash, and iss only valid in the country you copyright it in (ie if you copyright in the uk and a chinese man steals it, you cant really do much, maybe report it to his host but thats about it). Even though you cant exactly 'copyright' everything, it is still regarded as plagiarism to use a subtantial amount (a logo will qualify) of someone elses work without giving credit to them and/or asking for permission first. ie, you can pretty much get those arse holes you were talking about a second ago to dispose of anything on their website that you contributed if you have proof that you actually made it (if you've got saved file that actually states it's last update [ie last time you edited & saved it] was before the time that the site used that layout publically, well that would be perfect evidence as it shows that you had the material before it became know to the public. Although, if you were actually working for them, and this layout or whatever waas apart of a project you were doing with the site, well then they have all legal rights over it as a company, because the company (which you were apart of at the time) produced it, not you yourself. That help?

[Cyklops]

If they rip it you release it free.

Simples.

[LMS16]

simple google search brought this up... http://myfreecopyright.com/

Worth a look

Lew.

[AlexOC]

simple google search brought this up... http://myfreecopyright.com/

Worth a look

Lew.

Funnily enough once this whole incident happened i signed up to there and uploaded the layout. Wasn't sure what to do then and what sort of protection it gave me.

Thanks to you 2 aswell

[Jahova]

Copyright is free?

[Colin-Roberts]

ye intellectual copyright is free , however if we were working for someone (like you were part of there company not as freelancing anything you make for that company is theres)

[Luke]

or, although most people hate it, watermark your work

[redtom]

When ever I get a job I ask for a payment upfront, like a deposit so if anything happens I always have that. I dont like to watermark my work as its easy as hell to remove if you have time and any brains, plus it makes the design look worse in most cases. I dont tend to show coded layouts live to people I see as risks or have been werid so far as its pretty easy to save the source and there goes all your time and effort for nothing, instead I show screenshots but I've had people who dont like this at time and I can see why. If on the off chance your design or coding does get stolen most hosts and reasonable enough to have that content removed.

I've had some people in the past hire me, be completely normal for the whole proccess, until a week or two after I've finished the project and been payed in full they will then go to paypal and attempt to say I've not given them anything which is a pain in the ass, so if you can try and keep copys of chat logs and emails as proof of the final sale.

[hamheyelliot]

Myows is probably the best service out there for this sort of thing.