800website is a Dubai web design agency. We hand over every login on launch day, which is not universal, so this is worth understanding before you sign anything.
Do I own my website if an agency builds it?
Not automatically. Ownership covers four separate things and an agency can hold any of them: the domain, the hosting account, the code and content, and the design copyright. Get all four in writing.
The most common trap is the domain. If your agency registered it in their name rather than yours, they control your web address and your email. Businesses discover this at the worst possible moment — during a dispute, or when the agency goes quiet.
The second is a proprietary platform. If your site is built on a system only that agency can host, you own something you cannot move. Ask directly: can I export this and host it elsewhere? If the answer is qualified, treat it as a no.
Who owns the copyright to my website design?
By default, in most jurisdictions, whoever created it — the agency — unless your contract assigns it to you. Paying for work does not automatically transfer copyright.
What you want in the contract is a clause assigning full ownership of the design and code to you on final payment. Reputable agencies agree without hesitation because it is normal. Reluctance is informative.
Two carve-outs are legitimate. Third-party components — a licensed theme, a plugin, stock photography — carry their own licences that neither of you owns; you hold a licence to use them. And agencies commonly retain the right to display the work in their portfolio, which is reasonable and worth agreeing explicitly, particularly if your project is confidential.
What happens if my agency disappears?
It depends entirely on what you hold. If the domain, hosting and code are in your name, you hire someone else and continue — an inconvenience. If the agency holds them, you may be looking at rebuilding from scratch.
Four things to secure now, before you need them:
- Domain registrar login, in your company name, with your email as the contact.
- Hosting account login, billed to you.
- A recent backup you hold yourself, not one that only exists on their server.
- Admin access to the CMS, at administrator level.
If you cannot log in to all four today, that is worth resolving this week rather than during a crisis.
What should be in the contract?
Scope and exclusions, fixed price and payment milestones, delivery dates, number of revision rounds, an IP assignment clause on final payment, a support window and what maintenance costs after it, and a handover list naming every credential you receive.
That last item is the practical one. “Handover” without a list is where things quietly go missing.
See how we build and hand over, the published terms and pricing, or talk to us.
Talk to us
800website is a Dubai web design and development agency with published fixed prices. Send the details and you get a fixed scope and a fixed price back — no hourly billing. Contact us, message us on WhatsApp, or call +971 58 578 5380.
