Life is riddled with a procession of minor impediments

[TordelBack]

So start of last week in my job and Newcastle before moving to London this Saturday!

Why do I keep having flashes of Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy...?

Best of luck mate, the things we do for love!

[Banners]

So after a robust but entirely fair defence of my work, alongside some compelling supporting evidence, the guy has now paid £600 rather than risk another CCJ. Quite a bit less than agreed initially, but I was keen to get a decent proportion at least.

He has now asked me to confirm he owns the copyright to the branding and web designs. I replied that as I understand it, the designs are mine and that in effect he has licensed them to use within the context of this particular project. In the absence of a contract to say otherwise I think that's basically right - but I'm no expert, and I told him as such.

He says I am lying and that the copyright is his, so I am now being threatened with legal action.

By a man who tried to get away without paying for work he now wants to claim he created.

Heh.

[The Legendary Shark]

Sell him the rights for the remainder of what he owes you. But first, have a look at this information.

[Jim_Campbell]

In the absence of a contract to say otherwise I think that's basically right - but I'm no expert, and I told him as such.

With the usual I am not a lawyer disclaimer, I believe the basic principle of UK copyright law is very straightforward: if you create it, the copyright is yours unless another party can produce a piece of paper with your signature at the bottom assigning the copyright to someone else.

(Lack of such a piece of paper was the reason we didn't see a reprint of Zenith for twenty-five years.)

Cheers

Jim

[Banners]

Thanks, Shark—that link is very useful and seems to confirm what I thought, and what Jim is saying.

Another aspect of all this is that the work was commissioned under the banner of a company the client appeared to be working for as an employee, but is now being used under the banner of a company that the client actually owns. That said, the client is still using an email address from the first company.

Bizarre.

[The Legendary Shark]

Wouldn't be surprised if he'd, for example, sold one of the companies to a relative for £1 so he can claim to be an employee and draw a wage or something like that. Sounds like a slippery bugger at any rate.

[Theblazeuk]

It's almost like he's a pathological liar who ignores the law but throws it around as a threat when he thinks it'll get him somewhere.

[The Legendary Shark]

Just like the government, then.

[sheridan]

So start of last week in my job and Newcastle before moving to London this Saturday!

See you at the Southern Contingent on Free Comic Book Day then!

[Colin Zeal]

My LCS didn't get its delivery of the prog and Meg this week, so unless I want to fork out twice I have to wait until next Wednesday to get the latest issue.

[Grugz]

we finally got round to having our leaky conservatory room replaced and also discovered the original builder didn't actually screw the sides together so they have been held together by sealant for 13 years!!! he also didn't order the correct size room panels ,hence the leakage...
  our new builder was getting a bit shirty wanting to be paid on Friday despite not finishing the job ,I agreed to give a small amount toward the lads wages but will not pay the rest til the things finished...it only needs the skimming etc done and the electrics doing and should have been finished tomorrow,but no one turned up today and cant get hold of him...if hes not got in touch/finished  by wednsday I might have to get someone else in to finish the job and deduct that from the others bill. added to that the house is full of stuff including two flat packs and 37 packs of laminate flooring so we have a minute space to get into the kitchen.

[Theblazeuk]

My LCS didn't get its delivery of the prog and Meg this week, so unless I want to fork out twice I have to wait until next Wednesday to get the latest issue.

Ditto (Not RayGun perchance?)

[Colin Zeal]

My LCS didn't get its delivery of the prog and Meg this week, so unless I want to fork out twice I have to wait until next Wednesday to get the latest issue.

Ditto (Not RayGun perchance?)

Raygun East, yes. hopefully they'll have everything today when I go in.

[Tjm86]

In the absence of a contract to say otherwise I think that's basically right - but I'm no expert, and I told him as such.

With the usual I am not a lawyer disclaimer, I believe the basic principle of UK copyright law is very straightforward: if you create it, the copyright is yours unless another party can produce a piece of paper with your signature at the bottom assigning the copyright to someone else.

(Lack of such a piece of paper was the reason we didn't see a reprint of Zenith for twenty-five years.)

Cheers

Jim

Sorry to dredge this up but just wanted to make the following observation.  One of the things I was looking into a year or so ago was ownership of work.  This was related to, of all things, lesson plans (don't ask).  What I learnt from my research was that if you complete something whilst in the direct employment of someone then that work belongs to the employer and not you.  The key point being 'direct employment'.

[Banners]

Thanks for that. In this case, I was a supplier not an employee. Cheers.