license for php scripts I sell

[holly9]

Hi, i want to sell php scripts/ready made sites in the near future on clickbank and on my sites and i wanted to know is it necessary to go to a copyrights office to protect my work? and to stop people from selling it? i was thinking to have a license txt file that tells buyer not to sell and etc instead of going to a copyrights office.i understand how copyrights work but i don't know if i can stop the person from selling and claiming my stuff without having ownership proof from the copyrights office. I might sell some stuff that doesn't have restrictions.thanks

[QuickOldCar]

I know this is an older post, but I didn't see any replies.

 

When it comes to coding a lot can not be copyrighted.

It would be difficult to do something new that isn't already copyrighted by someone previously.

Unless you have something spectacular I wouldn't bother about the copyright aspect.

 

Even small changes it becomes new code, but in that same respect if examined as the whole could fall into a previous copyright.

 

If it was a language that compiles would be options to distribute the object code versus the source code.

 

Try to focus on contracts and licensing agreements.

Something like they can use the code but not have any rights to the code itself as in using parts of it or reselling any of it.

Possibly another option is to let them have the code and able to modify it for a price.

 

If you are trying to protect scripts is pretty hard.

 

You can try obfuscation to make it more difficult to duplicate.

Force a section of important code to be included from your server upon usage...otherwise it doesn't work.

 

To me the best way to protect your code is to never share it.

 

Try turning it into a web service if possible.

Something like an api or generated code they access with a key and/or domain restriciton.