Here’s the scenario… You hire a web designer/company that builds websites (whatever you want to call them) to create you a masterpiece on the World Wide Web (Booming echoing voice in the background.)

Everything is going fine and all of a sudden something affects the dynamics of the relationship between you and your web people.   So the back and forth ensues, tempers escalate, and you find yourself asking these questions:  Do I really own my website?  What legal rights to I have to get copies of my website?  What if my web team is no longer a good fit what legal rights do I have?

Let’s address these aspects point by point.   And truth be told, I have gained clients and lost clients because of similar circumstances, either because views change, expectations change or scope encroachment happens.

Point 1: Do I really own my website?   The answer is yes.   You do own your website and you are free to take it to any service provider that can service the needs and requirements for your website.  The part of the site that you may or may not be entitled to is the programmatic or code aspects.  If your site was custom built, you have customized functionality built on to your site, or anything that you paid for the development to you are entitled to that intellectual property.  You are not entitled to intellectual property if you just signed up for a service that aids in the construction of your website or helps deliver content.

Point 2: If you paid for a website unless it states otherwise in a contract or specifically states that you do not own your website (which I find pretty silly that anyone would ever sign such a document) you can take your site and go anywhere with it.  The only caveat to this is if you still owe your web people money. If you still owe money, your site is the property of your web team.  Sorry, no way around it.

Point 3: You are wanting to dissolve your relationship with your web team here is your legal rights.  If all the points I mentioned are covered (like you didn’t sign anything dumb, or owe anyone money) You are the copyright holder and intellectual property owner of your website.  Ill go into more legaleze in a few.

About Chris Rabkin

Chris is a commercial artist and owner of imageProjektions Design Group. He lives in Florida with his wife Heather and their two children Brayden and Brinsley. Chris is an avid community contributor and is finding ways to give back to the community in effective and inventive ways. Chris and his son Brayden both race BMX and are very active in the BMX community in their area as well as in the BMX community outside the State of Florida.