Copyright: To the coder or to the company/client

[dee-u]

If you are doing all the coding will the copyright belong to you? If not, then a company or client owns it, does it mean you can not use the same code for other companies/clients?

[Hack]

That depends largely on the circumstances surrounding the development of the code.

Did you do it all on your own, using your own computer equipment on your own time? If so, it belongs to you.

If you did it on company time, using company equipment while drawing a salary from the company, it belongs to them.

[dee-u]

What if one did it in his own equipment but is on the contract from a client? How about my 2nd question?

[Hack]

What if one did it in his own equipment but is on the contract from a client?

That is something that should have been discussed with the client prior to the creation of any code. What legal, binding, documents have been signed between the programmer and the client? What does it say about source code in this/these documents.

How about my 2nd question?

If it is owned by anyone other than the programmer, the programmer can do nothing with it without the express approval of the owner.

It would be like you trying to sell a car that belongs to me.

[dee-u]

Just an example, with client1 you have developed a very fast and efficient array sorting routine, does that mean you cannot use it for client2?

[GaryMazzone]

I would use different pieces of code just maybe the entire program is what should not be re-sold, based on signed agreement.

[Hack]

Yes, Gary is correct.

Number one, no one can tell you have reused anything if the interface that they actually see if totally different, and the application does completely different things.

As long as you are not completely reusing and entire application, then I think you are alright!

[Nightwalker83]

If it is owned by anyone other than the programmer, the programmer can do nothing with it without the express approval of the owner.

The copyright of the project belongs to the person/s who created it. Sorry, I did not know whether by "owner" you were referring to the client or the company whom the coder works for.