In general (in my experience), the developer buys the theme — any costs involved are usually added to the client’s bill.
Thread Starter
wrip
(@wrip)
@senff, what about the license for the theme in this case? The developer holds the license, am I right? Then if the client wants to receive any support for the theme in the future through the theme’s forums, they won’t be able to do so?
Totally depends on the maintenance package – if there’s any.
Sometimes a site is handed over “as is”. The client then owns everything and they can do whatever they want. The developer is not really involved anymore. In this case the client holds the license.
Other times the developer will continue to give support (included in the price or not, for a limited time or not, etc). Client OR developer holds the license; really depends what’s agreed upon.
Same goes for licensed fonts, photos, etc. It really depends on the agreement.
Thread Starter
wrip
(@wrip)
Ok. For instance a developer hands over the site to the client and there is no agreement made about future maintenance, then does the developer need to transfer the license to the client? If the license was originally purchased by the developer, it will have the developer’s name and the login to the support forums will have the credentials of the developer. Can the license be transferred?
I’d say if the agreement was that there was no maintenance post-delivery, the developer could (should?) have purchased the license in the client’s name.
I think it should definitey be purchased in the clients name.
developer buys while client pays … as developer charges from the client … that’s the rule which i follow … otherwise you may choose second option as well ….
Even if there is agreed maintenance post-delivery, I’d still argue that the client should purchase the theme (with the developer’s support if necessary). Bottom line: it’s not your site – it’s your clients. Their name should be on everything that has a support element – hosting, domain name, theme and any other commercial products.
The developer should, ideally, also ensure that the client is instructed to retain all details of purchases and associated support logins/instructions in a safe place. Then, should something happen in the future, the client can access the relevant support that s/he has paid for rather than being left out to dry.
I tend to call this the “If I get hit by a bus insurance policy”. 🙂
