Building an HTML site with a dev we know personally — who should own the code?

We handle this by adding these three clauses to the contract: 1) Ownership of all written HTML, CSS, and script files transfers to the client the moment the final invoice is paid. 2) The developer only retains the right to showcase the project in their personal portfolio as a reference; they cannot sell or lease the code. 3) The code must be delivered compliant with industry standards and open for further development by third parties.

The biggest trap with HTML is getting minified code delivered. Some devs minify the CSS and JS files into single lines and never hand over the original uncompressed source files. Don't forget to put a requirement in the contract saying "all styles and scripts must be delivered in their original development format, with comments intact, as a Git repo or zip archive."

to avoid creating an awkward "what, don't you trust me?" vibe when doing business with someone you know, we blamed it on accounting and btw we just said "Our accountant requires a standard sign-off for company assest and copyright assignment," and had him sign it. no hard feelings at all and everything was wrapped up cleanly. definitely recommend it, handles things smoothly.

make sure domain and hosting accounts are registered under your name 100%. I mean and dont take code piecemeal over email demand the whole thing in a single archive on delivery day. tomorrow the guy might go to the military get another job drop off the radar, u dont wanna end up locked out of your own site credentials.

Three years ago, we paid 15,000 TL to a cousin's friend to build a static site. Next year our phone number and address changed, so we wanted to update the text, but the guy had moved abroad and was keeping the code strictly on his own server. It took us 2 months of chasing just to get the FTP password. Mixing work with acquaintances often ruins work ethic unfortunately, make sure you take delivery of everything right away.

Honestly making this much fuss over copyright and IP for a basic corporate HTML showcase feels like overkill. We're talking about flat pages where anyone can just right-click and view page source in their browser anyway. The real issue isn't ownership, it's who controls domain and server access. You'll already have the code in hand, nobody's gonna sue someone over raw HTML.

On delivery day sit down with the developer; have him upload the files directly to your company's server, and export a copy to an external drive or your corporate cloud at the same time. Also, don't forget to ask for a folder containing license documentation for any ready-made CSS libraries or licensed stock assets he used.

Does the agreed 24,000 TL price include site deployment business email setup, and search engine registrations? Static HTML sites usually need a simple backend mail script for the contact form; have you discussed who handles that setup and server compatibility?

The discussion got scattered, let me summarize. Valuation methods for exits must be defined by formula; "market value" isn't enough.

Good luck with that.

Timely topic.

I'm a small business, let me explain from my side. The harder it is to reverse a decision, the slower you should make it.

Thanks, that was the answer I was looking for.

Im curious too. When making decisions, write down the worst-case scenario too not just the best.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

Here's how it went for us. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

we experienced almost the exact same thing last year but everyone rushing into building a site with html gets stuck at the same point.

of course it varies if your situation is different.

I'm curious too. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

If I were you, I'd go this route.

Let me share what happened to me; it might be useful. If it's your first time, start small; scaling comes later.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm a small business, let me explain from my side. Processes without records never improve, because you don't know what to fix.

Of course, it varies if your situation is different.