Web hosts provide services and internet connectivity for you to display your web site on the internet. Such services may include domain name registrations and even web development. A variety of economical web hosting options are available from providers such as networksolutions.com as well as many, many others. So you can shop around for packages that will best serve your company's hosting needs.
If you pay your web host or another party to design your web site (versus tackling it in-house like yours truly), you may not own the content. Under U.S. Copyright Law the web developer is generally considered the author of any content he or she creates for a site.
Lack of web content ownership can be an issue particularly when switching web hosting. When the web site content and layout are transferred to the server of a new host (or even printed to make a marketing handout), the web site will be "reproduced" in violation of the developer's copyright. To avoid such issues, consider one of the following options:
- Use a properly worded web development contract to designate the job as a "work made for hire"--subject to certain conditions--to secure content ownership.
- Have the developer assign the copyright to you so that you own the content.
- Have the developer liberally license the copyright to you.
A few other sticky areas to watch for when negotiating web development contracts:
- Register your domain name in your own name/company's name. If you let the web designer register the domain name and then later your part ways, you will likely lose the domain name as well.
- Beware of licensing terms for items such as stock photography and music to be used on your web site. Getty Images, for example, is very aggressive in pursuing back royalties for unauthorized use of its photos on the internet. So get an indemnification from the developer to protect you from such potential liability.
- Secure the ability to make simple updates to text, photos, etc. after the site is finished. Otherwise, you'll be charged every time you need to post a new event or a staff member wants to update her profile and the web developer has to handle it.
Having your attorney review the web development agreement before your sign may be helpful as well.
The bottom line here is, no matter how averse you are to "techy" projects like web development and site management, you must be involved enough to ensure your rights are protected--and that no one else's are being violated.
Angela
