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The Wax

September 27, 2004

Holding A Project For Ransom?

There have been times when I haven't been paid for a flash project until well after it's been taken down from a website. And while being paid is good, being paid on time is much better. A List Apart's article on better invoices give some excellent suggestions -- kind, good-natured, strong business-minded suggestions -- for getting invoices paid in a reasonable time span.

Even though in my contract (and by extension that which I have plagiarized) it states that if payment isn't made, I can pull the project down, it is wicked hard for me to enforce such a clause when the hosting server isn't mine.

After commiserating with my friend Ami we came up with a solution that I feel okay about technically, but feel that it's my ethical responsibility to tell a client that it's in place. That solution? A time based key.

Simply put, these projects will work up to a predetermined date, after which they search for a text file with a password/key in it. If it finds the key, all is well. If not, the project craps out, crashes, or whatever.

I've tested it with some recent work and it works like a charm. But do I inform the client? I would think so. But then they could work to figure out the key, which would be counterproductive. Anything from parsing flash with those decompiler programs, to, if they are really ambitious, changing the server clock.

To key or not to key? That is the question.


Posted by davidissimo  ::  Permalink  ::  Comments [4]  ::  

Comments Section

A key is better than no key. Try it for a while and see if you have any problems. If not, stick with it. If you do, maybe try something that's encrypted or maybe a 2 way key.

Posted by: Stephen McKenna at September 27, 2004 04:30 PM

I say Key and I say tell them. To deal with possible attempts to cheat:

1) If they have the resources to figure out how to find a decompiler program and successfully parse flash, they can afford to pay you. They could also probably have done the whole project themselves from the outset.

2) How about instead of having it check for the key after a certain date, have it check for the key once a day and then you remove the key if they don't pay. Does that work?

Posted by: robin at September 27, 2004 04:35 PM

1) Stephen: Two way key? how do you mean in the case of flash?

2) Robin: The problem with leaving it up there is that often it's their server which means they have access to the file, hence they could dupe it. Furthermore, I might not have access to remove it.

My friend Kate, a.k.a Fifi La Rue, suggests that I withhold my G_d given talent for payment. Which sounds like a great idea except timelines don't wait and clients can say they are paying, and still l wait forever. But I like the idea.

Posted by: Davidissimo at September 27, 2004 04:49 PM

If you use a key or some other type of disabling technology, be sure you tell the client up front about it. ianal, but there are some legal issues about this. It is your work, but your client's website, and disabling it may expose you to liability.

I have never used disabling technology in any of my projects, but I do make it clear what my payment terms are, and I do follow up with friendly reminders if payments go late. This almost always works. I have, on rare occassions, stopped work on a project if payments are late, and that has shaken a check loose.

Posted by: tom at September 28, 2004 10:00 AM

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