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bolido_sentimental  2yr ago (text post)   3861 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 25, 2022

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

Posted because I didn't see Zorba post one today. Feel free to delete if that's an issue.

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How do I build a business around writing code for other people and also build up intellectual property for the company? Tips?

From the (US-focused) IP side:

  • You have an automatic copyright in any code you write, but practically you’ll need to register it with the Copyright Office to effectively enforce it against potential copiers;

  • When you develop code for a client, you retain the copyright unless the contract expressly assigns the copyright to the client in a “work made for hire clause” in the contract. Some companies want to own the copyright, but most are fine with a license. Likewise, you’ll want a license to retain the ability to use your code for other projects if you assign the copyright to the client.

  • If you come up with a truly unique way of solving a problem, you can attempt to apply for a utility patent, but expect to pay at least $20,000 to get it.

  • If you have a coding technique or know-how that you don’t want other people copying, you can take reasonable measures to stop other people from finding out about it, such as NDAs, for it to qualify as a trade secret under federal law.

  • Finally, you can apply for a federal trademark registration to protect your businesses name, logo, or marketing slogans.

Most software consultants that I (vaguely) am aware of don't do this, and seem to do fine despite that, building up IP isn't necessary or the usual way to be successful there.

I think the paradigm you're looking for is "productized services." Here is a blog post about this concept (ignore all the calls to action, this guy sells SEO stuff but the blog posts are generally decent).

Thanks for the link

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