How to create a grayed out copyright parameter for a family?

[youssef.ibrahimM37J6]

Upon receiving a family from a supplier, I noticed that the copyright parameter was grayed out which was very nice

It made me wonder how I could create a similar one for my company's products an no one can change it .

Would anyone be able to help me, please?

[RSomppi]

Share the family.

[HVAC-Novice · Accepted solution]

they likely put the value in parenthesis in "formula" field

This isn't areal protection since you can delete that or enter your own value. 

There is no copyright feature in Revit. If you don't want others to use your projects or families, simply don't share those.  

[Daniel.Elbers]

In our Office a colleague created a shared parameter which was set to be not user modifiable. It can only be modified via Dynamo.

[youssef.ibrahimM37J6]

thank you @Daniel.Elbers  can you share the dynamo scripts or idea of dynamo scripts ? 

[Daniel.Elbers]

Unfortunately I'm not familiar with dynamo and the colleague left our office two years ago. I fear the script was on his old computer and was deleted when he left. I'm sorry.

[mhiserZFHXS · Accepted solution]

Unless there's some magic going around, there is no way to completely lock down a parameter, even with Dynamo.  There is probably some combination of adding fixed value formulas and/or collapsing parameter groups. Collapsing the "Identity Data" group is a common one since its at the bottom of the list. Its easy to not realize that its collapsed. 

[ToanDN]

Edit the family and enter the copyright information in the formula box of a parameter.

[Daniel.Elbers · Accepted solution]

You're right. To completely lock down a parameter is not possible. On the first glimpse the parameter is locked in family editor and in the project environment. You can change the value with dynamo or with the following workflow.
1. create a paramter inside the family editor as an family-parameter
2. set the value for the parameter
3. create a shared paramter with the same name and properties
4. open the shared paramter file and edit the colum for usermodifiable
5. in the family editor change the family paramter to the shared parameter

Unless you change it back the parameter is locked in family editor and in the project environment

[HVAC-Novice]

Obviously I don't know how that Dynamo script worked.... but it may just have been a script to add or edit a parameter the same way one could do manually in family editor. I suspect that parameter then still can be edited or deleted in family editor. so it wouldn't create a real watermark or other copyright feature. 

I'm not lawyer, and the jurisdiction would matter. But I don't think there is a legal copyright to a family you create. I have a different software that allows writing of programs. and that software EULA clearly states that I cannot sell standalone programs I create with it. Those are basically just for my use, or for free use by whoever I share them with. 

I don't know how that works if you hire me to create a family for you. But even if you pay me for that, if you share it with anyone, there is no legal way to prevent them from using the family you paid me (or your own employees) for.