How can I protect my job from a client publishing it elsewhere?

Question

I am designing a brochure of 1,872 pages for a client. This client is asking me provide him with a copy of the job. I am 100% sure if I provide a copy this job is gone. He will print it elsewhere. This client loves my graphics, but he doesn't want to pay for it. I must definitely provide a copy for him. My questions are:1. Is there a way to protect the job from him printing it?2. Is there software I can pass my Corel Draw file through to lock and protect the job, but such that it is still readable?3. Is there a way I can secure my file so that even when printed it will lose quality or come out blurred?4. Is there a way I can make it readable, but not printable?Is there software at all for Corel file security?

Answer 1

To protect your work from such clients, I suggest that you draw a contract to be signed before the work starts. On the contract, you need to add specific information of what rights the client will have for the price he's paying you. There are a lot of contract samples for designers and other artists online, if you do a search. There are also books on the subject. As for locking the design from printing, you can save it as a password protected pdf if you have Adobe Acrobat on your computer.

Answer 2

Copyright infringements can be quite expensive if the assets are properly registered with the Copyright Office. Your individual graphics could be registered, and you might qualify to preregister the document itself as a work in progress, described here: https://www.copyright.gov/prereg/. Contacting an attorney who specializes in copyright might be a good investment. Be cautious of copyright advice on the web as it is notoriously bad.