Am i allowed to rent anything I own?

John wrote -

> Hello. If I legally own something, can I
> rent it to soemone else legally without
> getting stepped on by the law? i'm looking
> at renting something from a website that I
> am the legal owner of.

You'll need to define "something" in a little more detail here. Intellectual property laws, (if it *is* intellectual property), are quite murky and every country is not equal in this area. Software is kind of a special case as well. For example, if you purchased Microsoft Word and wish to rent that, you'll most likely be in violation of the license. With software you don't own the software, you own a license to use it. And that usually doesn't include renting it to a third party. If you wrote the software or you bought the rights from the originator, that's another matter. You can do pretty much whatever you want within reason.

Now. In case someone is wondering how Application Service Providers, (ASPs), get away with renting software applications to outside users, they would typically execute some kind of agreement with the copyright holder. Otherwise, they would probably be in violation of copyright law and their license agreement.

If the product you plan to rent out is something other than intellectual property, you're probably OK.

However, my words should not be construed as legal advice. You should seek the input of your legal advisor in your country or state.

Rick Smith, "The Net Guerrilla"