Creating templates for commercial distribution

[juancho_vito]

Hi. Is it legal to create my own template in Excel, then distribute this
template for a fee ?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

As long as you own the intellectual property of the template (i.e.,
aren't copying someone else's work without permission): yes.

 

[juancho_vito]

Hi JE McGimpsey,

Thanks for the reply.

1. Is it common for people to do this? (creating templates and distributing
for a fee). I've seen a lot of created templates but they are being shared
for free on the Net.

2. If I'm going to copyright my template, will I need permission from
Microsoft as I used Excel for this?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

1) It's very common, especially for niche or complex models.

2) You don't need MS's permission any more than you need permission from
the hammer manufacturer in order to sell your home-made bird feeder.

Your users will have to have XL to run the template.

 

[juancho_vito]

Thank you, Mr. McGimpsey, for your opinions. Do you mind if I ask you your
background?

 

[Dave Peterson]

In case JE takes too much time to respond <vbg>:

http://mcgimpsey.com/

 

[JE McGimpsey]

In case JE takes too much time to respond <vbg>:

Hmmm... I was only up to page 17. Hadn't even gotten to my time serving
in submarines yet...

 

[Dave Peterson]

Application.goto Range("Year2k")

(I'll skip ahead a bit!)

 

[juancho_vito]

Hi JE,

Visited your website. Good services you offer. I like section re helpful
tips.

Question: If my Excel worksheet is on a CD-ROM, how do I make it launch
automatically on the screen as soon as the user pops in the CD-ROM in his
drive ?

 

[Dave Peterson]

I'm not JE, but I'd use google:

http://www.google.com/search?q=autorun+cd+creator

 

[JE McGimpsey]

I'm not JE, but I'd use google:

http://www.google.com/search?q=autorun+cd+creator

I am JE, but I'd stop payment on my purchase of your software if it was
set up that way. Not a big fan of autorun.

 

[Dave Peterson]

I've turned off that autorun feature in Windows. I like to see what's on the
disk before I install/run stuff.