Quote:
Originally Posted by Donners
So I had a good idea for a script.. And I hired a programmer to do the job.
Now it turns out he stole the idea and created his own competing website with the script he made.
How can you deal with situations like these?
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You fucked up.
He created the code and can copyright it and sue you for using it.
You created an idea but, as I understand copyright law, you can't copyright a idea.
Only the expression of the idea can be copyrighted and
the script is the expression of your idea.
Solution :
Make complete specifications along with flow charts showing the full process to be
performed. Use pseudo code and be detailed and exact like :
Quote:
open user file by user name
read user file
extract last name and birth date
add 85 to birth year to get policy end date.
etc...
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Now you can copyright you specs and pseudo code.
Also make a short contract specifying "This is a work for hire".
Work for hire means by law the programmer has no copyright
claims to the work he did.
Of course you can skip all that by hiring someone who is trustworthy.