Here at Clever Web Web Designs, we strive to know as much as we can about our field! So we are constantly reading website development websites for new information. This morning I came across this article from one of our favorite sites. It is regarding copyright on websites and their content. Now, most individuals don’t realize that when having a website developed there is a copyright involved. It is very important that you ask your potential developer about those rights prior to hiring them.

As most developers (conveniently) avoid this topic to make more money in the long run. When a website is completed, the developer owns all the designs (unless noted otherwise in the contract) for your website. After which when the website is completed they can turn around and sell your design to another client. Or more often, they will notify you that they in fact own the designs but are willing to sell you the rights for up to 5x the cost of what you originally paid.

You see this process more often when purchasing templates. Generally, those templates will have two prices, the “Standard” for under $150 and the “Exclusive” for over $2,500. Keep in mind to always ask your potential developer these types of questions as it will save you many headaches, money and time in the long run. We for example, pass the rights for the stock photos, designs, logos and anything you hire us to create.

Here is the article by SitePoint.com: 

The vast majority of websites have a copyright notice in the footer. Most designers do this as routine on all websites they design. But what exactly does it mean and what protection does it provide? This is vital information for web professionals to know. Here are answers to some common questions related to copyrights.

Please note: This information is based on copyright laws in the U.S. as provided on www.copyright.gov. It is provided as general information and is not a substitute for professional legal advice.

What Is a Copyright?

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, “Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of ‘original works of authorship,’ including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.”

The basis of the U.S. law is the Copyright Act of 1976, which gives authors of original works exclusive rights to the works and the option to grant usage rights to others. Generally, the rights include:

• Reproduction
• Development of derivative works
• Distribution
• Public display

How Can I Copyright a Website?

Original work is copyrighted from the moment of creation, provided it’s fixed in tangible form. What does “fixed in tangible form” mean? This means that the work has to be documented or communicated in an observable way, either directly or through a machine or device. Some examples of fixed in tangible form include written on paper, saved on a hard drive, or captured on a recording device. Ideas, systems and methods cannot be copyrighted.

A website — graphics, content, visual elements — is copyrighted at the time of development. So putting the copyright notice on the bottom of a site states that the material displayed is not to be used without permission of the owner. In fact, you don’t even need the notice to claim copyright; the law eliminated the requirement of public notice in 1989.

To take this one step further, copyright registration is an option when protecting online works. Registering a copyright provides a public record of ownership, plus registration is necessary before filing an infringement suit in court, should you ever need to do so. You can register online or by mail, by providing an application, a non-refundable fee (which is currently $35 for online registration), and a non-returnable deposit. The deposit is the entire work to be copyrighted (i.e. the website), which can be uploaded or sent in via CD.

This is important to note: the registered copyright only extends to the works included in the deposit. If you update the website after filing the copyright, you will need to register again for the new material. There are two cases (databases and serials/newsletters) where, if you meet the requirements, you can register in three-month chunks, with the copyright covering three months at a time. See Circular 62b for more information serials and newsletters, and Circular 65 for more information on databases. Please note: At the time of writing this, Circular 65 was being revised and was unavailable.

Who Owns Copyrighted Material?

Generally, the creator owns the rights to the work, except in the case of a “work for hire” arrangement, such as an employer/employee relationship. If you’re a freelancer or business owner hired to create a specific work, you are considered the creator and retain all rights, unless you have a “work for hire” agreement with the client that grants them ownership of the work. These details should be negotiated and outlined in your contract for every job so there is no question about ownership. This paragraph has been corrected from the initial post which misstated the designer’s rights.

Does a Copyright Extend Internationally?

There is not a world-wide copyright, but many countries adhere to international copyright treaties and conventions for foreign works. Review Circular 38a for a list of countries and their copyright laws.

For more information on copyrights, how to register and current fees, visit www.copyright.gov.

You can also read the full article directly on their site:

What it means to copyright a software.

Apparently, in the new Microsoft OS; Windows 7. The IE Browser can be completely removed from the operating system. A task that has not been available since Windows ‘95. Now, this might not be a great thing for most users. However, there is a lot of users out there (myself included) that detest using IE. This is usually due to how slow and how often the browser “Stops Responding” while surfing the net. At least that is on a personal standpoint.

On a professional standpoint, we need to be able to keep IE to do compatibilty testing. Since there still is a large number of users that have not switched to the other available browsers. At any rate, we’ll see how this move affects Microsoft IE in the following years.

Internet Explorer - Removable?

That’s right! We have upgraded and moved to a bigger and better office. We are now located in Los Gatos, CA. However, to avoid sudden client visits we are maintaining our address confidential to only current clients. The good news is you can set up and appointment and we’ll be more than happy to have you visit!

It seems that even though there is a lot of information out there regarding web development. There is still a great deal of individuals that don’t take the time to educate themselves. We firmly believe in not only creating powerful websites, but also educating the client as we build their site. 

To be true to our promise of a higher standard, we will somewhat explain what the W3C is and what they do. Below is an excerpt directly from the W3C site:

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C’s Mission is:

To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web.

That about explains the big picture of the W3C and what they do. What you need to know as a user is that your developer should not only know who the W3C is. But also believe and use their recommendations when developing your site. This will not only help set a higher standard, but also prevent any issues with your site (As your site will be cross browser compatible).

Do note that your developer should validate your site for CSS, HTML or xHTML. If you are unsure of this, do ask  your developer to validate and present the results for your review. Below are the links to the validation tools:

• http://www.w3.org/QA/Tools/

You can view our successful validation on our Contact Us page. If you have any questions regarding any of this, do feel free to contact us. We are always more than happy to help!

In our process to turn our company GREEN. We are taking every step necessary to do our part in saving the environment. That included upgrading all of our computer systems to shiny new MacBook Pros:

MacBook Pro 15.4" - Unibody Aluminum

According to Apple Inc., they are the greenest family available:

“When we designed the new MacBook, our designers and engineers set a goal of making not only the greenest notebook Apple ever produced, but the greenest family of notebooks. So every new MacBook has been built using materials that are highly recyclable and free of many of the harmful substances present in other computers. Apple engineers also designed the software and hardware to work together, in order to maximize energy efficiency and minimize the carbon footprint of the MacBook. Even the packaging was reconsidered and reduced, producing smaller boxes to ship and less material to recycle. The result is exactly what we hoped for: the greenest family of notebooks ever made.” - Apple Inc

Here is the main article if you wish to read further:

http://www.apple.com/mac/green-notebooks/