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>A couple of things occur to me. Have you ever had a client only pay the rental fee for a year (ie. you did not recoup your development fee)? What happens when the client does stop paying - do they own the software if they have paid for at least 2 years, and/or do you uninstall or disable it in some way?
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>>>Better not tell you any more...even if you are a long way away!<<
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>Not for long! Seems like Perthshire's full of potential clients - I'm on my way...
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>Regards,
>Alan

I've never had a client not go beyond the 1st year - if the initial (business/ system) analysis doesn't show that they really need a computer system, I don't recommend that they waste money on one (plus, if they don't need it, they are more likely not to continue after 1 year). In a number of cases, I have recommended changes to their existing, manual system which have solved the problems that they had.

I don't add any disabling features to programs - the data belongs to the client and it would not be legal to prevent access to the data. The contract (that they sign) is a business issue not a technical one and they are legally bound to pay the fees or get taken to court. They never own the software as that would be a hire-purchase agreement and you have to be registered, etc., for that.