Subj : Re: Protecting your code
To   : comp.programming
From : Gerry Quinn
Date : Sat Jul 30 2005 02:26 pm

In article <8male1hgcmoe5nphtnvken8rd1d5p1n3n1@4ax.com>, 
minime@uoft.com says...

> PS: the country where he lives doesn't care much about copyright and
> non disclosure whatever :-).

This is a problem.

If he won't finish the work, don't pay him and instead hire somebody 
you can trust to honour an NDA.

Consider first however whether it is you that is at fault - if you are 
not a programmer how do you know you have given him all the information 
he needs?  (I'm not saying you don't - just make sure of it.)

As for securing your idea and code - the code is copyright as is your 
released executable version.  But if the programming is the main part 
of the product and you don't trust the programmers not to immediately 
go into production with a clone, the only solution is to have them sign 
an appropriate legal contract in advance, in a country where it will be 
worth something.  (They may also be more expensive, of course...)

- Gerry Quinn

.