General Discussions

**igorsa** · 06-17-2007, 08:48 PM

I decided to invest quite money in new web project. One team from my country will develop that project. I wrote specification with more than 30 pages, it's huge one. Project require also great hardware investments.

How I can be sure that team will keep my code in secret and that they aren't start their own project with my code.

My idea is to find couple of teams which will create project parts, but it's too hard to integrate all that in one and there is also same thing. One team who integrate need to have whole code.

Is there any resolution for this and how that's usually working with big projects?

**stOx** · 06-17-2007, 09:14 PM

get them to sign a contract.

**igorsa** · 06-17-2007, 09:22 PM

But if I'm going like a person, not a company, that contract don't have worth. Even if they sign, I cannot be sure that they will not use that code on another site, with different name, different market, different design and even little changes in code (because they are wrote it).

**stOx** · 06-17-2007, 09:25 PM

If they do use your code you will have evidence that they have
1. stolen the code/idea from you and
2. broke the contract on confidentiality.

**igorsa** · 06-18-2007, 05:53 AM

But how I can know that they are stole code from me? If they start with another site how I can know that uses my code. It's not revolutionary idea, it's yet another social networking site, but costs me a lot and I need to be careful.

**stOx** · 06-18-2007, 08:16 AM

I doubt there is anyway to be certain they have used your code, But if they start thier own social networking site shortly after finishing yours it's a pretty safe bet that they have.

The most you can do realisticly is write up a contract and hope that they stick to it.

**EGS** · 06-22-2007, 01:15 AM

Contracts are good but still can be broken.
You can encrypt your code using IONCUBE or Zend Optimizer...but that won't really do you any good until all the coding is finished so you can encrypt it.

**ksmglobal** · 06-22-2007, 10:28 AM

You should have an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) drawn up and get everyone involved with the project to sign it. This means that they are not even allowed to discuss your idea with any third person and if they then take your idea and use it then you can take legal action. You must get a professional legal advisor to do this document for you so there are no legal loop holes within the NDA.