Long Story Long
I don't remember if I wrote about it at some point, but two years ago my brother and I developed a computer program that was designed to be a communication tool between teachers and parents. It was similar to the scrolling news ticker you see on CNN, but it ran on the computer and streamed homework and announcements. Last year, my school purchased it from me without the permission of the technology administrator. Needless to say, she's had a burr up her ass ever since.
It was only supposed to be a one year pilot, so imagine my surprise when my principal asked to buy the program for another year. This was in August, and this time, the technology baron was ready for me. She threw every roadblock imaginable in my path, and not until this past Tuesday was she able to meet with me.
She basically gave me an ultimatum: If I want to sell the program as an independent entity, then she will not purchase it. However, she will pay me for the year if she can have the rights to the program. In a sense, my intellectual property would become hers. That was an easy decision to make.
But wait, the long story gets longer.
She apparently didn't like my answer and has now involved my principal, the district business manager, the assistant superintendent, and the superintendent. She claims that since they paid for the software last year, it is now the property of the school district. That would mean that Andy and I can never resell it to another school, should the opportunity present itself. No dice. Fortunately, I still have all the documentation stating that the school purchased rights to the program, not the development of it. But regardless, it's clear this lady is looking to cause trouble, and that worries me a bit. I know I'm in the right here, but she is an administrator, so I'm a minnow fighting a shark. And that never ends well.
It was only supposed to be a one year pilot, so imagine my surprise when my principal asked to buy the program for another year. This was in August, and this time, the technology baron was ready for me. She threw every roadblock imaginable in my path, and not until this past Tuesday was she able to meet with me.
She basically gave me an ultimatum: If I want to sell the program as an independent entity, then she will not purchase it. However, she will pay me for the year if she can have the rights to the program. In a sense, my intellectual property would become hers. That was an easy decision to make.
But wait, the long story gets longer.
She apparently didn't like my answer and has now involved my principal, the district business manager, the assistant superintendent, and the superintendent. She claims that since they paid for the software last year, it is now the property of the school district. That would mean that Andy and I can never resell it to another school, should the opportunity present itself. No dice. Fortunately, I still have all the documentation stating that the school purchased rights to the program, not the development of it. But regardless, it's clear this lady is looking to cause trouble, and that worries me a bit. I know I'm in the right here, but she is an administrator, so I'm a minnow fighting a shark. And that never ends well.