ksundheim, That sounds like a difficult situation. You may want to look into non-disclosure agreement in your contracts that specifically say that they cannot use the job description or parts of it without your consent. Make Sure Your Business Information Stays Secret with Non-Disclosure Agreements Has anyone else had experience with something similar? JimD

Do your clients sign a contract before you prepare the job description or do any other work for them? If not, they should and you can include the non-disclosure information in the contract. Also mention it when they sign the contract and when they receive the completed work. You could also state that any work completed by your company is considered copyrighted and cannot be used for any purpose without your permission.

Ken, In as much as I feel for you, the truth is that according to US Copyright laws, your written job descriptions most likely falls into the category of 'Work Made For Hire'. You see, because you are creating this copy for a client (even though the intention is to find a viable job candidate) they are paying you for an entire service (including the job descriptions). So, in most instances, they own the rights to your work, not you. By the way, the government publishes some great information about copyrights that you might want to take a look at: http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#protect Of course, you should always consult with an experienced attorney for advice on your particular situation. I hope that helps and best of luck to you. Regards, Tony O