Re: Do you give permission to use your materials?

["Rebecca Downey" <rdowney -at- matrox -dot- com>]

The company for which I work has made this a selling point in a few deals.
Along with hardware and software come the generic documents for the buyer to
modify by adding their own product names and company logos.

What I've done in the past is reviewed the document and then released it,
not to the print shop but instead (in electric format, e.g.: frame source
files) to the buyer. The contract they sign specifies that they become
responsible for keeping the documentation up to date.

In one case the buyer balked, and returned the docs to my division to
control and update, in a few others, however, I've not seen the document
since its first revision.

I've not really had any say in the matter, nor have I been able to review
the document once it's been released to the buyer. It is rather strange
looking through documentation and finding familiar snippets among unfamiliar
text.

Ultimately though, either you try to remain responsible for revisions, or
you just sign the whole thing off and not look at it again. Of the two the
latter is far easier, but offers you no assurances of quality or precision.
Still, the reader will blame the buyer for the faults found in the pages of
the manual -- even if they are yours.
--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
R. Downey
Matrox Electronics System (Networks Division)
1055 St-Regis Dorval, Quebec Canada, H9P 2T4
Voice: (514) 822-6000  x. 2073
Fax  : (514) 822-6272
Email: rdowney -at- matrox -dot- com
Web  : http://www.matrox.com/networks