I finally asked a lawyer about client contract language at a local meetup

He told me to always specify 'work for hire' in writing, not just assume it's implied. Has anyone else had a client claim ownership of work because your agreement wasn't clear enough?

2 comments

2 Comments

umathompson5d ago

Honestly, that lawyer is being way too careful. I've done freelance design for years with just a handshake deal. If a client pays you for a logo, they own the logo. That's just common sense. Adding all that legal jargon makes you seem difficult to work with and scares off good clients. I've never had someone come back and try to claim my rough drafts or unused ideas. It's a solution looking for a problem.

thomas_martinez4d ago

Ever think that way too? I did until a client tried to sell my unused sketches as NFTs. A handshake deal didn't cover that, and it got messy fast. Now a simple contract just spells out what they're actually buying. It saves more headaches than it causes.