Web Design Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Diseño Web)

A Web Design Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Diseño Web) is a formal written contract between a client (cliente) and a web designer or web design agency (diseñador web or agencia de diseño digital) establishing the terms under which a website — including its visual design (diseño gráfico), user interface (interfaz de usuario), underlying code (código fuente), content management system (sistema de gestión de contenidos — CMS), and associated digital assets — is created, delivered, and owned, governed principally by the Ley de Propiedad Intelectual (Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996, de 12 de abril — LPI) and the general commercial obligations framework of the Código de Comercio and the Código Civil español.

The LPI governs the intellectual property rights arising from web design work in Spain through several overlapping regimes. The graphic design elements of a website — visual compositions, logo treatments, colour schemes, typography arrangements, iconographic systems, and user interface layouts — are protected as artistic works (obras artísticas) under Article 10.1.e and 10.1.f LPI, with copyright arising automatically at creation without registration. The underlying HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, or other programming code constitutes a computer program protected under Articles 95–104 LPI implementing EU Directive 2009/24/EC. Written content — texts, product descriptions, blog articles — is protected as literary work under Article 10.1.a LPI. Photographs used in the design are protected as photographic works or mere photographs under Articles 10.1.h and 128 LPI respectively.

The critical ownership problem in Spanish web design contracts is identical to that in broader software development: under Article 97.4 LPI, copyright in work created by employees in the course of their employment vests in the employer — but for independent designers (autónomos) and agencies under a service contract (contrato de prestación de servicios), copyright remains with the designer unless expressly assigned in writing. A client who commissions and pays for a website design without including an express intellectual property assignment clause receives only an implied licence to use the delivered design — the designer retains the right to use the same design, CSS code, or graphical elements in other projects, adapt the design for competitors, or refuse to grant the client access to source files.

The Ley de Servicios de la Sociedad de la Información y de Comercio Electrónico (LSSI-CE, Ley 34/2002, de 11 de julio) imposes specific legal requirements on the websites themselves that a web design agreement should address — specifically, mandatory legal notice (aviso legal) requirements under Article 10 LSSI-CE, cookie consent obligations under Article 22 LSSI-CE (as amended by Ley 9/2014 and interpreted through Guías AEPD), and e-commerce transaction requirements under Articles 23–29 LSSI-CE. A website that does not comply with LSSI-CE requirements exposes the client to sanctions from the Secretaría de Estado de Telecomunicaciones e Infraestructuras Digitales and the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD).

The Reglamento General de Protección de Datos (RGPD — Reglamento (UE) 2016/679) and Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD) require that any website processing personal data — through contact forms, newsletter subscriptions, user accounts, or analytics tools (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel) — comply with RGPD obligations. The web design agreement must address the RGPD implementation responsibilities: privacy policy (política de privacidad) drafting, cookie consent banner (banner de cookies) implementation, and data processing agreement (Acuerdo de Encargo del Tratamiento under Article 28 RGPD) between the client as responsable del tratamiento and the designer or hosting provider as encargado del tratamiento.

Spain's Ley 34/2002 LSSI-CE Article 17 imposes specific obligations on website hosting providers (prestadores de servicios de alojamiento) regarding illicit content, and the web design contract must address the client's responsibility for the legality of content published on the designed website. The Código Civil Article 1255 principle of freedom of contract (autonomía de la voluntad) and the Ley 7/1998 sobre Condiciones Generales de la Contratación (LCGC) govern the formation and validity of the web design agreement as a commercial services contract between empresarios.

A Web Design Agreement Spain is needed whenever a Spanish business, public entity, or individual commissions the design, development, or redesign of a website, mobile application interface, e-commerce platform, or digital product from an independent designer or agency — to establish clear ownership of the resulting intellectual property and define the scope, timeline, and payment terms of the engagement.

The agreement is required when a new business (empresa emergente, sociedad limitada, or autónomo) establishing an online presence commissions a freelance designer (diseñador autónomo) registered under CNAE code 7410 (actividades de diseño especializado) to create a corporate website — without a written IP assignment clause, the designer retains copyright under Article 97 LPI regardless of payment.

A Web Design Agreement is needed when an e-commerce (comercio electrónico) operator commissions a WooCommerce, Prestashop, or Magento-based online store from a web agency — the agreement must address: the scope of customisation versus use of off-the-shelf themes; ownership of custom-developed features; integration with payment gateways (Redsys, PayPal, Stripe) under PSD2 requirements implemented in Spain through Real Decreto-Ley 19/2018 de servicios de pago; and LSSI-CE compliance for the commercial conditions (condiciones generales de contratación) displayed on the store.

The agreement is required when a Comunidad Autónoma, Ayuntamiento, or public entity (entidad pública) contracts web design services under the Ley 9/2017 de Contratos del Sector Público (LCSP) — public procurement rules require IP assignment under Article 308 LCSP and mandatory accessibility compliance under Real Decreto 1112/2018 sobre accesibilidad de los sitios web del sector público (implementing EU Directive 2016/2102).

A Web Design Agreement is needed when the design work involves creation of a brand identity system (imagen corporativa) alongside the website — including logo design, colour palette, typography selection, and brand guidelines — to confirm that trademark rights and copyright in the visual identity assets are properly assigned and that the designer does not retain rights to use the brand elements for other clients.

The agreement is also required for ongoing maintenance and update contracts (mantenimiento web) following initial website launch — defining the scope of included updates, response time obligations, security patch responsibilities, and hosting service level agreements (SLA) under the supervision of the applicable Internet service provider (ISP) registered with the Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital through the Registro de Operadores de Telecomunicaciones.

Under the Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) RDL 1/2010, the Registro Mercantil maintains the register of Spanish companies. The Código de Comercio 1885 governs commercial obligations. The Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) administers Impuesto sobre Sociedades (IS) under Ley 27/2014. The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) enforces competition law. The Código Civil governs general contractual obligations under Article 1255.

A valid Web Design Agreement Spain under the LPI (RDL 1/1996), Ley 34/2002 LSSI-CE, and Spanish commercial law must contain the following essential elements to protect both parties and confirm IP ownership is properly transferred.

Scope of Work and Deliverables: A detailed description of all deliverables — including: number and type of website pages (páginas web); visual mockups (maquetas visuales) and prototypes (prototipos) to be created; the content management system (CMS) to be used (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, or custom development); responsive design requirements (diseño responsive) for mobile, tablet, and desktop under W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and Real Decreto 1112/2018 if applicable; browser compatibility requirements; SEO-friendly URL structure; and loading speed benchmarks. The scope must be set out in a Technical Brief (Briefing Técnico) attached as an annex.

Intellectual Property Assignment: An express, written assignment under Articles 43 and 97 LPI of all copyright and intellectual property rights in the custom design elements — including the visual design (diseño gráfico), CSS stylesheets, custom JavaScript, original images and illustrations, content written by the designer, and any other original elements created specifically for the client. The assignment must specify: the rights assigned (reproduction, distribution, public communication, transformation); territorial scope (worldwide); duration (full legal protection term); and exclusivity. Pre-existing third-party elements — stock photos, icon libraries, CMS themes, open-source plugins — must be identified and their licence terms disclosed.

Licence for Pre-Existing Designer Tools: Where the designer uses their own pre-existing tools, frameworks, code libraries, or proprietary methodologies, the agreement must grant the client a licence to use these elements as part of the delivered website — specifying whether the licence is perpetual, sublicensable, and whether it survives contract termination.

Delivery Timeline and Milestones: A project timeline with defined milestones — initial concept presentation, client feedback and revision rounds (rondas de revisión), final design approval, development phase, testing, and launch. The number of permitted revision rounds must be specified — typically two to three rounds of revisions are included in the fee, with additional revisions billed at an hourly rate (tarifa por hora).

Client Content Responsibilities: The client's obligation to provide the designer with: brand guidelines (manual de identidad corporativa), approved copywriting (textos), approved images (fotografías), product catalogue data, and any other content the client wishes incorporated into the website — within agreed deadlines that gate the designer's delivery timeline. Delays caused by late client content delivery must not extend the designer's contracted delivery deadline without written agreement.

Payment Terms: The agreed fee structure — typically a 30–50% advance payment upon contract signing (pago inicial), with milestone payments upon design approval, development completion, and final delivery. Under Ley 3/2004 de lucha contra la morosidad, payment between Spanish businesses must occur within 60 days of invoice. Late payment triggers ECB rate plus 8 percentage points interest automatically under Article 7 Ley 3/2004.

LSSI-CE and RGPD Compliance: The designer's obligations regarding LSSI-CE compliance of the delivered website — including implementation of the mandatory aviso legal under Article 10 LSSI-CE, cookie consent banner compliant with the AEPD's Guía sobre el uso de las cookies (2022 version), and privacy policy (política de privacidad) template. Where the website collects personal data, a separate Acuerdo de Encargo del Tratamiento under Article 28 RGPD must be executed between the client (responsable) and any hosting or analytics provider (encargado).

Hosting and Domain: Whether the designer provides hosting services (servicios de alojamiento web) and domain registration (registro de dominio) — including the applicable SLA, uptime guarantee, backup policy, and security patch responsibility. Domain names registered with the Entidad Pública Empresarial Red.es (for .es domains under Real Decreto 164/2002) must be registered in the client's name from the outset.

Post-Launch Support: The warranty period for bug fixes (corrección de errores) after launch — typically 30 to 90 days — during which the designer corrects functional defects at no additional charge. The scope of post-warranty maintenance (mantenimiento), security monitoring, and content updates must be separately agreed in a maintenance contract (contrato de mantenimiento web).

Forms-legal.com provides this Web Design Agreement Spain template as a practical starting point for designers and clients operating under Spanish law. All web design contracts involving significant investments should be reviewed by an abogado especialista en propiedad intelectual and derecho digital.

Under the Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) RDL 1/2010, the Registro Mercantil maintains the register of Spanish companies. The Código de Comercio 1885 governs commercial obligations. The Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) administers Impuesto sobre Sociedades (IS) under Ley 27/2014. The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) enforces competition law. The Código Civil governs general contractual obligations under Article 1255.