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I used this website which allows you to customize the color, width, height, and other stuff which is generated afterwards and then you can copy the code. I checked the website and didn't see any FAQ/Legal Terms pages, etc. So I am wondering can I get in trouble if I create a script which will use the CSS code for a button and sell the script?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

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3 Answers 3

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When you create something, it’s your creation, your work, and you (or, depending on your circumstances, your employer) have the copyright. The tools you use do not affect this. When you write a novel using Microsoft Word, you will have the copyright, not Microsoft. When you design a building using a CAD system, you have the copyright, not the CAD software copyright owner. The same principles apply when using software to generate, say, CSS code.

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  • Except the OP isn't really "creating" anything, the tool is doing the actual creation. That doesn't mean the site owns the copyright, but technically it could if it wanted to.
    – DisgruntledGoat
    Commented Feb 5, 2013 at 14:55
  • Only human beings can create, in the copyright sense at least. If there is no creative act by a person, such as selecting options and setting parameters, then there is no created work and no copyright.
    – Jukka K. Korpela
    Commented Feb 5, 2013 at 17:37
  • What I'm saying is that the software itself is a creative work, so its output could be creative work too. The software should have a license that says what its terms of use are and what you can do with the output.
    – DisgruntledGoat
    Commented Feb 5, 2013 at 20:02
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It depends on what site it is. There are some sites, where the intention is that you link to them for

  • contact form,
  • css,
  • terms and conditions page etc.

In which case, they can claim copyright.

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It is copyrighted but unless you copy the whole website or template it will fall under Fair Use. Most likely.

You can always modify the code as generators almost never output quality stuff.

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  • 2
    Be careful throwing around that term. Fair Use is pretty much a US-specific concept. In other countries, it applies differently, possibly with a different name, and doesn't exist at all in other countries. (This gives you an idea why questions of legality are largely avoided here, or answered with heavy disclaimers.)
    – Su'
    Commented Feb 1, 2013 at 5:12
  • “Fair use”, where it applies, is subject to interpretations and dispute. Any statement about “fair use” calls for arguments, instead of providing one.
    – Jukka K. Korpela
    Commented Feb 1, 2013 at 9:36

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