What are the odds of someday independent software developers being able to file liens on companies that stiff them? People who work on your house are able to do it, what's the big difference there? I suppose if you develop somebody software, there may not, necessarily, be anything to put a lien ON...but I suppose that could be something that the contractor could check up on ahead of time.
You do not transfer copyright until you are paid in full. Partial payments do not count. If they have not paid, every system and backup of that system that has your piece of code in it must be taken down, by your own hands if necessary as stated in your work contract. Also make sure everything is tracked with git or something similar so you could even automate removing the parts you have written. If you build on someone else's work, that derivative work would be yours and you can remove it. Thats about the closest equivalent I can think of a software lien.
That's great and all, but wouldn't you have to grab a lawyer to do anything serious? I thought a real lien was as easy as waltzing down to a courthouse and filling out some paperwork. I'm probably totally wrong about that though. I guess what I was wondering was if there was some kind of automated process to claiming what's owed in the court system.
