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We are The Digital Co-Op and, in plain English, this is how we work.

By engaging us in work, it is assumed you accept the following.

1. Privacy

  • Unless you advise us, in writing or in an email, otherwise, we will assume:
  • 1.1 We cannot tell anybody we have worked for you or your clients.
  • 1.2 We cannot show anybody the work we have done for you or your clients.
  • 1.3 These conditions shall apply to all members of staff and/or any contractors we may use.
  • 1.4 Unless we deem it to be in extraordinary circumstances, any member of staff breaching this rule will be dismissed. Any contractor breaching this rule will not be used again.

In plain English: we won't tell a soul what we've done for you. Unless you say we can do.

2. Ownership

  • 2.1 We retain copyright in all work.
  • 2.2 We reserve the right to re-use code in other projects.
  • 2.3 Other than for the purposes of charging your client for the work we have done on your behalf, you may not re-sell our code without written permission.
  • 2.4 Code in this document refers to anything we provide to you written in, for example, HTML, CSS, .php, .net, C/C+/C++, FBML, XML, Cocoa/Cocoa Touch, Objective C, Java, JavaScript etc. This is not an exhaustive list.
  • 2.5 We may provide a waiver to these rights but only in writing, signed by Ross Brown.

In plain English: when we finish a job for you - you can do what you like with the code insofar as you can make changes/tweaks etc. to it but you can't take it and re-sell it over and over again without our permission.

This doesn't mean we'll create things in such a way that you can't make changes yourself - far from it. It's simply our way of protecting our intellectual property.

3. Payment

  • 3.1 For smaller/quicker jobs, we will invoice at the end of the project.
  • 3.2 For larger/longer jobs, we reserve the right to either request a deposit before beginning work or split the total cost over a number of invoices (we refer to this as 'part-invoicing').
  • 3.3 We will advise which of these conditions (3.1 and 3.2) applies when commencing work.
  • 3.4 Invoices are issued as a PDF via email. They will be sent to the person who ordered the work and, if applicable, their accounts department also.
  • 3.5 Invoices are due no later than the 30th day after they are raised.
  • 3.6 Invoices are considered raised/delivered the day they are emailed, as per 3.4 above
  • 3.7 Overdue invoices will be liable for a penalty charge equal to Bank of England base rate plus 5 per cent. Compound interest will be calculated on a daily basis from the 31st day after the invoice is issued.
  • 3.8 If invoices are not settled within 30 days, we reserve the right to remotely-disable anything we have built for you.
  • 3.9 If invoices are not settled within 30 days, we reserve the right to halt production of any outstanding work being produced on your behalf until your account is brought up to date.
  • 3.10 Until paid for in full, we retain ownership of all our work.

In plain English: we pull out all the stops to deliver high-quality work to you, whatever your deadline. All we ask is that we get paid on time.

4. Ordering

  • 4.1 When ordering work from ourselves, we will confirm this order through the issuing of a job brief.
  • 4.2 The job brief will include the specifics of the work we are providing and the cost that will be charged for completing that work.
  • 4.3 This job brief will form the basis for our contract.
  • 4.4 Unless amended in writing or via email - and mutually-agreed - this job brief is the benchmark against which we will be assessed when deciding if the work has been completed.
  • 4.5 Subsequent dealings following the issue of the job brief in regard to the project in question assume that the brief is agreed in full by yourselves.
  • 4.6 Once work has begun, we will issue a copy of the job brief to your accounts department (if applicable) or another individual at your premises identified as responsible for paying invoices.
  • 4.7 Once agreed, work may only be cancelled if paid for in full or for a mutually-agreed payment.
  • 4.8 If because of actions outwith our control, we believe that successful completion of the work will be significantly-delayed, then we reserve the right to issue an invoice for work carried-out to that time. The balance of the work and the associated costs will be charged at a later date.

In plain English: once we've agreed precisely what you want us to do - we'll get on with it. Sharpish.

Once the wheels are in motion, if the goalposts significantly move, chances are we'll have to charge more for the job.

5. Changes

  • 5.1 Changes to these terms and conditions can only be made with prior agreement.

6. Legal

  • 6.1 Our actions are governed by English law.
  • 6.2 If English law contradicts any of the above, it will have precedence.
  • 6.3 If any of the points above are deemed to be unlawful and, subsequently, invalid this shall not affect the validity of the remainder of the terms outlined above.

In plain English: we've written these terms in as plain English as we can - so you can be sure what you're agreeing to.

If, however, we've made a small visit to cock-up city, then that minor error doesn't mean everything else is thrown out too.