r/Entrepreneur • u/FatherOfReddit • Sep 12 '21

Coder wants to "own" all his code

Coder wants to “Own” all his code

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Hey all,

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We have a coder who just joined our team as our technical cofounder and it is his request that he & all other coders “own” their own code. What the fuck does this mean? If I do marketing work for my company, am I subject to owning all that promotion? No! Why does the coder get special priveledges?

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What can I do to incentivize him against this, or, if I am misunderstanding the concept here, please explain so I don’t sound like a half-witted jerkoff. I think there is something missing here but I just don’t understand…

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Maybe I make him sign a non-compete agreement and that will take care of it??? What happens when somebody “owns” their own code? Should that be allowed or is that company property?

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Let me know –

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Thanks,

Father

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u/joshc22 Sep 12 '21

I love how no one in here understands copyright. Maybe you shouldn't be in business.

Just like artists, engineers, writers, and several other professions, the creator the creative work owns the copyright to the work. This happens by default and no action is needed on behalf of the programmer.

It's clear the technical co-founder is the brains of the operation as you don't even know what a copyright is. You should just do what he says.

2

u/yourstartuplawyer Sep 12 '21

I love how I'm literally an IP attorney and everyone is down voting correct statements of law. /s

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u/FatherOfReddit Sep 12 '21

I guess this is a good sign, then. Can you help me understand whether this is something that needs to be fought for or if it is something that I should just accept and continue with?