# Freelance / Contractor - Who "owns" the source code (fla)?

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/freelance-contractor-who-owns-the-source-code-fla/293073>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [July 22, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/freelance-contractor-who-owns-the-source-code-fla/293073 "2009-07-22T22:18:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SirPrize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@SirPrize](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/SirPrize)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/freelance-contractor-who-owns-the-source-code-fla/293073/1 "2009-07-22T22:18:34Z")

</div>

I’m sorry if this is the wrong forum, but I did not see a “general” forum.

I’m new to freelancing (Flash/AS). When you develop a site or app for a client, who “owns” the source (fla) files?

I did a site for a client a few months ago. It reads a SQL database and loads images, text, and links. It also builds the containser, dynamically, so the user can create as many as he wants. I think it’s pretty slick & dynamic, and I would like to retain control of it. Is this an accepted practice? What is the “norm”?

For this instance in particular, my partner was a contractor who sub-contracted out to me. His consulting firm had a contract with the client. The ownership of the source files never came up.

Today (several months after turnover), I got an email from another developer from the client. He said he needs to do some “tweaks” to the site, and asked if I would mind giving him the source files.

Suggestions / advice?