copyright on graphical elements

[sysadmin42]

not sure if this is the right forum, but y'all always have great advice anyway...

I create automation systems for my clients' websites- the "backend." To help them feel like they're paying for something substantial, I want to make the GUI design look more like an MS Office application (since they're used to it) as opposed to a website.

I am wondering what the implications are in terms of copyrights. How closely can I match office and what do I need to do? Even though I can take the thought process of "well, it's highly unlikely that my clients will tell Microsoft," but I want to be ethical and "you never know."

Any thoughts, comments, etc.?

"Computer illiterate is a dirty word."

 

[Grenage]

Judging by how close other document packages often come to looking 'like' MS office, I would imagine you can get fairly close. Directly copying graphical elements, however.. you'd be pushing it there


Carlsberg don't run I.T departments, but if they did they'd probably be more fun.

 

[pmonett]

Doesn't Microsoft encourage developers to "adopt the Windows look" ? And by adopting the GUI interface, at least visibly, isn't a developer signalling that the application is integrated with the OS ? Office just uses OS-level calls for displaying its data, so I think its more a question of ressembling the OS than Office in particular.

I expect that MS can hardly hand the blame to you, expecially since just about anything developed in any flavor of VB always has a "Windows" look to it - look that depends more or less on what version of VB it was written in.

The fact that you're doing backend applications doesn't really matter in my opinion. It could be frontend, or even on the Web. I don't see that MS can fault anyone for developing a Windows-like UI on a Windows machine.

If you were be developing a Mac application, there might be some discussion there - but I suspect the client would want to to conform to OS X (or whatever Roman numeral there is now) and not Windows anyway, so the issue would probably not get to Microsoft's ears in the first place.

And if you were doing a Windows GUI for a Linux flavored-app, then I can indeed imagine that some Microsoftie might signal it and get some suited guy all hot and bothered.

But if you're developing for the Windows OS, I cannot imagine that anyone will expect anything else anyway. It would be most surprising to get an unpleasant remark about it anyway.

Pascal.


I've got nothing to hide, and I'd very much like to keep that away from prying eyes.

 

[sysadmin42]

pmonett- your thinking is about where i've settled, but in your paragraphs 3 & 4 pose a new issue. Since it'll be browser-based, it's independent of the OS and people on Macs will definitely use it.

Here's a link to a sample I just put together:
[URL unfurl="true"]http://jaymunda.com/other/new_design.jpg[/url]

should I contact microsoft directly?

"Computer illiterate is a dirty word."

 

[Grenage]

I don't see how your example could infringe on MS Office copyright. If that did, there'd be an awful lot of infringements around.


Carlsberg don't run I.T departments, but if they did they'd probably be more fun.

 

[sysadmin42]

you're probably right. Just as one last check, I'm going to contact MS. I'll let you know what I come up with.

"Computer illiterate is a dirty word."

 

[pmonett]

Since it'll be browser-based, it's independent of the OS

<nitpick>Does that mean that it won't be IE-only ? Because if it is IE-only, then independance of OS is more a theory than a fact.</nitpick>

Pascal.


I've got nothing to hide, and I'd very much like to keep that away from prying eyes.

 

[sysadmin42]

<groan>pmonett- you are quite right.</groan> Cross-browser compatibility is always a pain. IE7 just ruined the layout of several of my older sites!

my goal is to make OS independence from a theory to a fact.

"Computer illiterate is a dirty word."

 

[Tarwn]

Ah yes, finally get a handle on IE6 and here comes IE7 to add a whole new flavor of screwiness to web design, breaking previous IE6 stuff but still managing to screw up standards related things...

BTW, I like your idea of doing the interface in that manner. I think your headed down the right track, in that most people want to see something that reflects what they're paying for. A polished or familiar looking front-end can definitely go a long ways towards making people feel they are getting more for their money.

 

[SemperFiDownUnda]

MS distribute many of their graphics with development environments. If you are ripping graphics from a product look in the docs of said product to see if there are any conditions.

If the product is for a company and not for commercial sale you probably have little to fear even if the work is under copywrite

Hope I've been helpful,
Wayne Francis

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