Solved: Word rights

[dillon65]

hello everyone:

I have been working on a 29 page report, with excel embedded sheet,for a prospective client; my concerns is that once I have created the report, they have every intention of using my template, which I created over, and over again.

Although, the content belongs them what rights do I have. Can I write some type of VBA code; which would indicate that my company created the template.

Thanks

Denise

[Anne Troy]

Denise: You make the template price high enough so you don't feel screwed.

[Jacob Hilderbrand]

You can try this:

a) Offer to sell them the template if they want to use it so bad.

b) Have them sign an agreement that states that they cannot use the template without your permission (now how you would actually know if they break it, I dunno).

c) Add some VBA code to maybe nag them a bit, but it would ultimately be pointless and easily removed if they really wanted to.
d) Don't release it at all, keep the template all to your self.

e) Don't release it in Word. Convert the completed document to PDF.

f) Don't give them a soft copy. Just print out x copies and give them those.

[Anne Troy]

Ah. I like option E. But I suspect that Denise (like me) has found herself in this position AFTER she quoted the job and that's when they said "oh, we'll just use it over and over". There's not a whole lot you can do about that. BUT...what you can do now is make a custom toolbar for it and all that. Then sell them the super-duper spiffed up version of the report (now a *blank* template) for hundreds more.

[MWE]

hello everyone:

I have been working on a 29 page report, with excel embedded sheet,for a prospective client; my concerns is that once I have created the report, they have every intention of using my template, which I created over, and over again.

Although, the content belongs them what rights do I have. Can I write some type of VBA code; which would indicate that my company created the template.

Thanks

Denise

Have you considered "renting" or "leasing" the template. Assuming that the template will not function without some critical VBA code already in the template (or you could add something), you could:

1. password protect the VBProject so others can not view the code or mod it
2. insert into the Document_Open proc some code to test the current date against an install date and a length of lease. If the lease is up, inform the user and quit the application.
3. when the lease is up, you send the client a new template with revised lease data/dates hardcoded into the Document_Open proc.

The user could reset the system date and fool the check code. This may be counterproductive if the current date is important to the template. In most other MS appls there are vba customizable objects that are persistent and reside with the file that can be used to "track things" and minimize the possibility that the user fools around with dates. I could not find anything like this in the structure for Word's document object.

This process is not foolproof, but it does work reasonably well to keep "honest people honest"

[johnske]

Well, for a workbook you could be cheeky and try something like this (it lets them use it three times then deletes all the VBA code), it's not foolproof but if you lock the project it'll take them a while to figure out what's going on...(and you HAVE delivered your report)... [vba]Option Explicit

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Sheet1.[A65536] = [A65536] + 1
End Sub

Private Sub Workbook_BeforeClose(Cancel As Boolean)
Dim x&
'set your own number below
If Sheet1.[A65536] <> 3 Then
Exit Sub
Else
On Error Resume Next
With ActiveWorkbook.VBProject
For x = .VBComponents.Count To 1 Step -1
.VBComponents.Remove .VBComponents(x)
Next x
For x = .VBComponents.Count To 1 Step -1
.VBComponents(x).CodeModule.DeleteLines _
1, .VBComponents(x).CodeModule.CountOfLines
Next x
End With
On Error GoTo 0
End If
End Sub[/vba]

[dillon65]

Hello Dreamboat, DRJ MWE, Johnske

Thank you for responding, first let me state, that I have only completed 10 pages, which I have invoiced them for. Secondly, they were surpose to offer me a contract, were I was suppose to continue to do the reports. They are spinning their heels, they have no intention of offering the contract.

They have been using a template from "Page Maker" for the last Ten years, and if their system were to crash, they would be in lot of, well you know.

I have caught onto to their level of deceptiveness, and it is for this very reason why, at the moment I will not complete the report. They are a consulting firm, and they are charging thier clients up to $2000.00 per service.

Last week, I sent them a beta version, of what I was doing, and I used the watermark - sample, a cross all of the pages. This is were I created my first VBA. So far I have billed them for $345.00, but like you stated Dreamboat, if they really want me to finish the template, I would raise the fee, to $30 per hour.

DRJ, they need to use the tables, which I have created, to enter their data from their seminars, so to put it into a PDF, would be impossible. I have created the Excel sheets, so that I have about 8 worksheets, per 8 sections, so it would be easy for me, to use each worksheet, as needed.

For example, "Very knowledgeable" "Very effecient", "Very Effective" etc. I have no intention of sending them the excel spreadsheets, which I have created. I then use the Ref fields, to bring the appropriate table section forwarded when I need it. I will be removing the Ref fields, when I need to send them a final copy.

You guys, are my new family, and I am honoured to be communicating with you all.

Denise

[Anne Troy]

Ease your way up to a bit more money per hour, girlfriend.
It sounds like you're worth it.

And...we're happy to have ya!!
Do you cook?
Hee hee...

[dillon65]

Hello Dreamboat:

Thanks for your support, greatly appreciate.

Denise

[Jacob Hilderbrand]

Yes, whatever you charge make sure you are happy with it. And if they don't want to pay, just let that job pass. Don't devalue your work just to get a job. Dreamy told me that.

[Anne Troy]

I did?

[Jacob Hilderbrand]

Yup, a while back though.

I was asking you what I should charge and stuff.

[Anne Troy]

Oh, right! My thing is this: If someone says it's too much for them to pay, and you lower your price, then they just think you were charging too much in the first place. Set a price and stick to it. No discounts for non-profits or anything like that. However, if you want to "seal" a job, you can offer to do something else along with it that may be valuable to them, but simple to you.

I recently bid against others on making Word mailing labels from data online. I bid the same as everybody else. But I offered them ALL the data in an Excel file, too. It was just as easy for me to give them all that (and merge it) as it was for me to give them the extra columns of data. But they might not have realized it. And that's why I won the bid, I suppose.