Ressurecting an old project under a new banner

[The Spartan]

I worked on a project in the 6 months ago with a great team for over 18 months, it got to public beta but then was shelved. There was a possibility it would get picked up in this year's funding however I heard from reliable sources that it got cut. The problem is that this is a really good software and it would be a crying shame if it wasn't released, yes it has the potential to generate a fair bit of revenue but only if we can make a success of it. Has anyone here ever taken an idea forward from a past project? Could you recommend anyone who specialises in looking over these types of legal issues? What hurdles did you face?

There are already existing websites out there that essential do the same thing as the site we were building however they lack the search capability to make it easy for the customer to find what they're looking for and rely more on the customer being creative to find what they want. To add to the complexity the data though public comes from a Government datasource but private companies are monetising this already and have been for over a decade.

[WordIsBond]

There are already existing websites out there that essential do the same thing as the site we were building however they lack the search capability to make it easy for the customer to find what they're looking for and rely more on the customer being creative to find what they want.

If you are looking to undercut ContractorUK, they won't appreciate you posting here.

[northernladuk]

If you are looking to undercut ContractorUK, they won't appreciate you posting here.

That's not going to work. CUK is excellent value. Worth every penny we pay for it. Undercutting it would spoil the quality to cost balance we have here.

[BlueSharp]

If it's a government public beta site, under Goverment Digital Services the source code may/should be published under an open source licence on GIT.

[Hobosapien]

I once developed a web app for a client that went bust before paying me. I found an IP lawyer to go over the contract to determine what was ok for me to proceed in re-using the source code and idea.

I ended up rewriting the app so as not to use any original source code, taking the opportunity to do it better in newer tech, as an attempt at a plan B as I too saw the potential in it. Plan B ultimately failed.

So it's probably safe to steal the idea and rebuild it in a totally different way but if wanting to re-use any code or algorithms or patented stuff (EU code patents allowed? ) then get an IP lawyer to check how risky it is based on the state of the situation, contracts in place, and likelyhood of the client chasing you if/when they find out. They may well decide to resurrect their idea if it is indeed a good one, when funds allow or management wake up to the potential, so it will be easier to prove no theft of their IP if you do it from scratch then you're just another one of the competitors.

Alternatively, do a deal with the client to share the project by way of licencing of their IP or some other joint business venture.

[The Spartan]

If it's a government public beta site, under Goverment Digital Services the source code may/should be published under an open source licence on GIT.

Thanks BlueSharp most of it has been published under the opensource licence, however the searching never saw the light of day due to the project being parked. Additionally it was never fully completed but we have the capacity to make it what it was meant to be, but we don't want to go forward with the idea and then get hit be legalities.

[The Spartan]

I once developed a web app for a client that went bust before paying me. I found an IP lawyer to go over the contract to determine what was ok for me to proceed in re-using the source code and idea.

I ended up rewriting the app so as not to use any original source code, taking the opportunity to do it better in newer tech, as an attempt at a plan B as I too saw the potential in it. Plan B ultimately failed.

So it's probably safe to steal the idea and rebuild it in a totally different way but if wanting to re-use any code or algorithms or patented stuff (EU code patents allowed? ) then get an IP lawyer to check how risky it is based on the state of the situation, contracts in place, and likelyhood of the client chasing you if/when they find out. They may well decide to resurrect their idea if it is indeed a good one, when funds allow or management wake up to the potential, so it will be easier to prove no theft of their IP if you do it from scratch then you're just another one of the competitors.

Alternatively, do a deal with the client to share the project by way of licencing of their IP or some other joint business venture.

Thanks Hobosapien, we do plan to completely rebuild it from scratch with better tech as the client's choices were a bit outdated. The alternative is a great idea too

[Paralytic]

Thanks BlueSharp most of it has been published under the opensource licence, however the searching never saw the light of day due to the project being parked. Additionally it was never fully completed but we have the capacity to make it what it was meant to be, but we don't want to go forward with the idea and then get hit be legalities.

Who owns the IP (if there is any) for the "searching" idea? Contractually, I suspect it lies with the client who paid you to build it - even if you re-write the code, the idea itself could be IP.

[eek]

Who owns the IP (if there is any) for the "searching" idea? Contractually, I suspect it lies with the client who paid you to build it - even if you re-write the code, the idea itself could be IP.

Highly, highly unlikely - this isn't the USA where processes are protectable.

[BlasterBates]

The biggest problem in building a great system is how to market it. Alone it will probably go nowhere, you need a "sponsor" or at the very least a few eager customers. If there are no eager customers now, there won't be when it's finished.