copyright contract-law intellectual-property netherlands
Is it legal to create a carbon copy of an application?
<p>A couple of days ago, an acquaintance of mine asked for help with an application for his non-profit company. This application was already done previously by people who the client hired previously. He mistakenly hasn't put down a plan to pay them. So they decided to monetize it their own way. They asked him to pay for a set monthly fee as well as some other costs that honestly seem ridiculous to me.</p>

<p>I looked at his requierements and set a price for a bunch of user stories which I will  run by him later this week to see if he agrees. After the initial deployement I plan on maintaining the application for an hourly fee.</p>

<p>So far, he seemed to be content with both the price I proposed the first time we talked about the application and the maintaining fee. The problem is, that he sent me screenshots, basically detailing every single aspect and functionality of the application that was previously created for him.</p>

<p>Therefore I have a question. Is it legal for me to basically create a 1 for 1 carbon copy of something that other people have already created and "sell" it for a lower price?</p>

<p>P.s. I am also sceptical of the whole debacle that he had with his previous "employees". That's why I am determined to put everything in writing as to prevent any misunderstandings from happening.</p>

<p>The code and the “look” of the user interface is protected by copyright - you can’t duplicate either.</p>

<p>You can create your own app with the same functionality.</p>
