Freelance agreement to add client projects to public portfolio?

Question

First of all, this is not exactly a direct programming question, but you guys seem to be the best ones to ask.

I'm a freelance software developer. I'd like to put together a publicly viewable portfolio of projects that I have worked on for clients, or a client list or something similar. Just something to display or describe my work on a webpage or something.

My question: What type of agreement or contract do I need to have my client(s) sign in order for me to legally describe or display my work on a webpage or some other similar publicly visible portfolio? Or even if I want to simply display my client's name/logo in order to make it known that I do work for them. Is there a certain name for this type of contract?

On a side note, obviously there are NDA's involved some of the time and in lots of cases displaying or describing projects publicly just isn't feasible. My question is only really in regards to clients who wouldn't mind the project being displayed publicly or at least even having their company name/logo on my webpage to display the fact that I do work for them.

Answer 1

You probably just need a release of some sort, but you need to get a lawyer involved to get the wording right.

Answer 2

Unless you've signed an agreement stating otherwise, there is nothing legally preventing you from displaying your own work and claiming right to it.

Next, if you're smooth, you are already asking your clients for testimonials. Along with the testimonial, ask them to authorize you to use their name and branding in your marketing materials. That way, not only do you get a short comment from your client telling the world how awesome you are, but you also get to show off their logo without worry.

If you ever do get a cease and desist, don't fight it. No matter what documentation you have. Just take it down and forget about it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

IANAL, but may be something like:

The client agrees that the contractor may mention in public or make widely known through other means his involvement in the project. Furthermore, the client agrees that the customer may publish the image of the work as appears at the project completion. The contractor may describe the scope of the project, his role in it and give a basic overview of the technologies used to complete the project.

Disclaimer. I have never written something like this in practice but I imagine it could look similar to this.