AutoHotkey Community

silveredge78 · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 382 Location: Midwest, USA

Okay, so Ive written a few scripts for a client. They had something they needed done, and I found a good/easy way to implement what they wanted using AHK (I love it!). Two of them relate to their practice management software (they are a health organization). Now, I personally think these scripts are pretty damn handy and are very specialized in what they do. I have written them using ini files, using InputBoxes to generate them, etc, so that they arent specific to just my client.

Here are my questions:

1) Does my client own the scripts I wrote for them? (I am a consultant for them)

I would think no. It would be considered my work product. It just does what they want. Since they paid for development, that would constitute payment for a license so to speak. But I am not sure.

2) Since I work for a company that is the consultant for the client, is the software the property of my company?

I would think possibly so, as I wrote it on the clock, for a client, etc. I would think that would be something like any programmer writing software for Microsoft or Intuit or something.

3) If my company or I owns the software, would it be appropriate to approach the practice management software developer to sell them to them, as they would be pretty handy for them I think.

Thoughts?
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SilverEdge78

toralf · Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 3842 Location: Bremen, Germany

1 and 2 should be organized in the contracts, between your company and your client and between you and your company. If it is not organized, you'll have to find an agreement.

To 3: I have seen often in the past that the client the software got developed with was using the software for free, since they helped to find a solution or defined/made you aware of the problem. But it was ok after a certain delay period of time to sell the software to other clients, with the same needs.
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Ciao
toralf

Helpy · Guest

toralf is right... For 2), I believe that by default the company which hires you and paid you for the job owns you work. It might depend on the country laws, and can probably be negociated.