Hiring Abroad

[kineem]

Hello. I am from France. I want a German web designer to design my web site. I don't have any company, but just a web site amateur. But I am a bit confused about legal issues?

Because I will contact the designer online, how can I prove I have paid to that guy for his service?

Does design licence belong to me or him? How can I prove the licence belongs to me at a court?

Thanks.

[Reli4nt]

Checks issued from banks and cashed at another bank will generally serve as sufficient proof of payment even when sent across borders. Make sure your contract stipulates the method of payment as agreeable to both parties.

You will have to look up French and German laws regarding the copyright but generally if you pay someone to create something for you you own the final product (though not necessarily the source materials used to create them).

With a website it is difficult to control ownership of a particular script or set of code so just worry about the branding and content of your website.

Look up contract law in both countries, get a lawyer to help you make a fair contract and make sure that issues are (and can be) resolved under French laws.

[kineem]

Thanks for the reply, @Reli4nt. Actually I dont care about possibility of my paid service's steal by others. I want to prevent the abroad designer sue me although I pay for his service and make a contract.

The other problem is how will I sign contract without a lawyer? I cant afford a lawyer currently.

Lastly, there are some freelancer sites. If I purchase the service via those kind of sites, would it be secure in regard of payment proft and copyright issues?

[Reli4nt]

Your check is your receipt, he can't deny cashing that.

Currently I don't use lawyers but that is because I have done some homework on contract law.

I dont know if those services would be any more secure. You should try to read their policies. I suspect they arrange the connection but take no responsibility for the transaction that follows.