How do you protect your design from being copycat ?

[maplelium]

How do you protect your design from being copycat by your client ?
Any good method / procedure to do this ?

[alpha3m]

well, the best thing ive found is to copyright the work in your name. keep your origonal files, and document their development. If a client does decide to go behind your back, you have documentation and files to back up your development of said data

[franklin]

This may be relevant...

I am within the textiles industry, and I know that the types of products I deal with can be protected by something called a "confidentiality agreement".

This is just really a declaraction that the original ideas are yours and you have put considerable time into them, it is signed and kept by both you and any others who potentially could take your product (in my case - the manufacturers that are producing the garments.) - and it means they cannot produce anythingn similar for the same market within a certain period of time.

Perhaps you could get something like that arranged? A solicitor could draw one up for you in a couple of days.

[maplelium]

thanks for the posts.....
really helpful

[advensa]

When you design something , you can copyright with United States copyright office. They charge $20 for it but it's well worth it.

Then when you see your design stolen (like on the Internet) you contact their ISP and ask them to delete that website according to Digital Millennium act (which prohibits duplicating somebody elses designs etc).
If the ISP (their internet provider) does not obey that law, then you can hire a lawyer and start a legal proceedings.

I personally found FOUR companies who've used my designs and copied my website. I had my lawyer send them papers. I was ready to go full speed take them to court. Unfortunately as soon as they received letters from my lawyer they apologized and took their sites down right away. I was hoping collecting $800,000 (minus legal fees). When somebody infringe copyright, then you might be entitled to get up to $200,000 per case!

Alexandra

[samer]

yup.. copyright your material, best thing to do ..

[lorandm]

Well, as said above, it's a really good idea to copyright your designs. But the problem comes in proving the design was stolen from you and only you (this applies only to websites).