Editing someone elses templates?!?

I want to start a small web editing company but dont know if it will be a copyright infringment.

I know that a lot of people will pay for and download a template from a big site, and then realize that they have no idea how to edit it (or don't have the proper software)...So my question is...Can I be paid to alter the templates for people who have no idea how?

Example: Someone DL's a template, but cant figure out how to make it look the way they want, so they pay me to alter it. Illegal??

Any help would be appreciated,
Reidy

If the template is purchased from the "big site" selling the templates, then they can do what they want with the template.

If the template is ripped from another site that offers templates (for purchase or as a service), then it's illegal.

If the person who purchased this template is giving the template out to many others, then it may be construed as illegal. Depends on the TOS of the site it was purchased from, as to whether they gain rights to 1 copy or multiple.

This could be legal, illegal, or somewhere inbetween, dpeending on where the template comes from.

What it comes down to is that templates, stock images and videos, etc usually come with licences or at least usage restrictions. What you would need is one of two things:

1. (best) Find somewhere that allows templates to be altered by any party as long as they are only used by the party that has paid for the template in the first place. Can be hard, but if you ask around at some of the template suppliers websites, you'll soon be able to find out more about their individual licencing requirements.

2. (worst) Get your clients to sign a contract that has been prepared by a lawyer that states that the client is solely responsible for any copyright issues etc. Unfortunately, no matter how good this is, the owner of the template may still want to come after you at some time, so you'll need a good legal team as backup there, just in case...

I know that most template sellers will let you change it as much as you want if you've paid for it. As for giving the template to soemone else to change, thats where the issues do start to come into it. You might be best off investing a few $100 in consulting a copyright lawyer to discuss this and get some real advice.

Thank you for your advice.
I have recently contacted support at a major template site and asking if this would violate their T.O.S. (Still waiting on a reply)

I personaly cannot see this being an issue with the major companies, merely because I will only be carrying out the plans that the purchaser already had for the template.

It would be like buying a template, and then paying your buddy to fill it in for you.

In the worst case senario (This does, in fact turn out to be illegal) I will have to design my own templates I guess. I just didn't want to do that much work.

Reidy

Usually companies that sell templates, allow you to use them how you like. Some may have a condition stating that you can't claim credit, whereas others won't. But if the template is purchased, then you should have no problem using it to create the site. It's not illegal to create someone's site using a purchased template, unless the person you're creating it for isn't the one that purchased it.