[kira]

I'm not a lawyer, but I do a great deal of freelance work as both a web designer and writer. And as far as I know, Sidewindr, that's not a valid assumption. It depends entirely on the contract (which, presumably, you and your coder will have). Without a signed agreement specifying the job as work for hire and indicating that the final product will be owned by the client, there's no reason for a coder or her client to assume that ownership of the product (and exclusive rights for usage) is to be transfered over to the client.

I could be wrong, maybe it's different for coding and tech issues. But I find it hard to believe that anything as important as exclusivity and ownership would by default and without a contract be granted to a client rather than the creator.