ScriptSource code is not the same as ownership
When you buy a script or app "with full source code", you receive readable, unencoded files you can open, change and run. What you buy is a license: permission to use those files under certain rules. The author keeps the copyright. This is how almost every code marketplace works, and it is what lets authors keep the price low.
The most common license: one purchase, one installation
Most source-code products are sold per installation. One purchase covers one copy running for one business — on one domain or server. In practice:
| Situation | Usually allowed? |
|---|---|
| Install it for your own business | ✅ Yes |
| Keep a test / staging copy of that same installation | ✅ Yes |
| Change the code, add features, remove parts | ✅ Yes |
| Install it for a client | ✅ Yes — one license per client |
| Charge your client for installation and changes | ✅ Yes — that is your work |
| Run it for a second business or second domain | ❌ Needs a second license |
| Share, resell or publish the source code | ❌ No |
| Host it as a service for many customers (SaaS) | ❌ Not from one license |
| Remove the copyright notices from the files | ❌ No |
Always read the seller's own license page — the table above is typical, not universal.
"I am a developer building for clients"
Buy one license per client. You can charge for your installation, customisation and hosting work; the license belongs to that client's installation. This keeps you and your client on the right side of the license — and your client gets the updates.
"If I change the code, do I still get updates?"
Yes, you still receive new versions. But updates are made for the original code. The more you change, the more work it is to merge an update into your version. A good habit: keep your changes in as few files as possible and write down what you changed.
Updates and support are not the same thing
- Updates are new versions of the software. Some sellers give them for a year, some for life.
- Support is personal help from the developer — installation questions, bug fixes. It usually has a time limit.
Check both before buying. A product with free updates for life keeps improving long after the support period ends.
What happens if a license is broken?
If the code is shared or resold against the license, the license for that copy usually ends, along with updates and support. Many sellers also cancel the license when a refund is given — after which the software must be deleted.