Copyright Assignment

How does it work?

1. choose this template.

Start by clicking on "Fill out the template"

2. Complete the document

Answer a few questions and your document is created automatically.

3. Save - Print

Your document is ready! You will receive it in Word and PDF formats. You will be able to modify it.

Copyright Assignment

Rating: 4.8 - 163 votes

A Copyright Assignment is a document used when one person owns a copyright to any kind of work (such as a screenplay, novel, painting, or song) and wishes to transfer the ownership of that copyright to another person. Copyright Assignments are most often utilized in situations where the copyright is already registered with the United States Copyright Office, and it's best for both parties to have a memorialized record of the assignment. Often, Copyright Assignments are used when the rights to a work are being given away so that the party receiving the rights may use that work for any purpose they desire.

Copyright Assignments allow the easy transfer of the copyrighted works. They contain all the information needed to record the assignment with the United States Copyright Office , if so desired by either or both of the parties. Recordation with the U.S. Copyright Office isn't strictly necessary, however, though it is a good way to ensure everything flows smoothly with the assignment of the copyright.

How to use this document

This document can be used to transfer the ownership of an existing copyright or when an individual would like an existing copyright transferred to them, as long as the owner agrees. It should be used when both parties understand that the copyright will be completely assigned and wish to create a record of their agreement.

This document will allow the parties to fill in details of the work or works to be transferred, as well as ensure that everything needed for recordation with the U.S. Copyright Office is present. Either party - either the person assigning the copyright or the person receiving the copyright - can fill out this form. Please keep in mind that this form requires both signatures , as well as a notarization.

Applicable law

Copyright Assignments are related to the copyright law of the United States, which is covered by a federal statute called the Copyright Act of 1976.

How to modify the template

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.

A guide to help you: Who Owns a Copyright?

Other names for the document:

Agreement to Assign Copyright, Agreement to Convey Copyright, Agreement to Transfer Copyright, Assignment of Copyright, Conveyance of Copyright

Country: United States

Intellectual Property and New Technologies - Other downloadable templates of legal documents

  • Terms and Conditions for a Website
  • Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
  • Privacy Policy For Website Or Mobile App
  • Intellectual Property Permission Letter
  • Intellectual Property Release Form
  • Intellectual Property Cease and Desist Letter
  • Model Release Form
  • Personal Data Deletion Request
  • Licensing Agreement
  • Influencer Agreement
  • Online Advertising Agreement
  • Online Sponsorship Agreement
  • Website or Mobile Disclaimer
  • Media Release Agreement
  • Graphic Design Agreement
  • Affiliate Agreement
  • Refund Policy
  • Testimonial Release
  • Copywriting Agreement
  • Guest Consent Agreement
  • Other downloadable templates of legal documents

assignment of copyright in

  • Faculty & Staff

Managing Rights

Consolidation of Rights | Assignment | Licensing | Enforcement

Copyright is a valuable intellectual property which requires managing that copyright asset over time. Managing copyright means:

  • Controlling how a work is used by others
  • Granting permissions and licenses
  • Responsibilities for the life of the copyright

The creation of new copyrighted works in the University raises complex copyright questions with respect to ownership of the new materials. It can be a daunting task to sort out authors from other contributors, establishing whether works are works made for hire or independent efforts, and considering whether a work is a joint work, a compilation, a derivative work, or it uses pre-existing content.

Without agreements to consolidate or transfer rights, copyright law will determine copyright ownership. Copyright owners, whether individual authors or University of Washington, may find they have insufficient rights to make it possible to share, publish, and disseminate the work as they desire.

Once rights are established, rights are transferred only by an agreement and are generally enforced through litigation.

Consolidation of Rights

When you are preparing a work with many copyright elements and many contributors, you need to consolidate the rights with the entity that is going to publish or disseminate the work. Consolidation of rights:

  • Clarifies ownership
  • Ensures publication
  • Identifies party responsible for work

Benefits of consolidation

Having your rights consolidated shows potential publishers or distributors that the project managers can manage risk and are prepared for the product’s future.

When there is clarity regarding the copyright rights for each project, it is easier to stop others from producing content which is too similar, easier to create relationships with those interested in the project, and easier to control the product’s quality. 

Without identifying ownership of particular elements, it is difficult to ensure the project can be released.

How to consolidate rights

The consolidation of rights is accomplished through either an assignment of copyright, which transfers ownership of the work to another, or through a license, which grants permission to use a work in a certain way. Both assignments and licenses are part of creating works within a university setting.

Creators may be asked to assign rights in scholarly work to a publisher so that the work may be published. Alternately, creators may be asked to grant a license to the University to use work you own in a project.

Consolidation and UW copyright

You may be asked to transfer your copyright to the University if, as defined under UW Copyright Policy, you used University staff, resources or funding, or the University has obligations to provide such materials as required elements under a grant, contract, or other award.

Creators and consolidation

If it is determined that rights should be consolidated with the University, the creator of the work retains a say in how the work is used, credit for having prepared the work, and in most cases, a share of any royalties that may be generated if the work is commercialized.

When you are working on this type of project, you may be asked to sign a participation agreement that will clarify your rights and responsibilities on a particular project.

An assignment is a transfer of the ownership of the copyright.

Assignment of copyright transfers ownership to another person or entity. Assignment may also prevent you from using that work, even if you were the original author.

A way to visualize assignment of copyright is to analogize the process to that of selling your house. You may have built the home and lived in the home for a period of time and had all the rights to permit or exclude visitors to your home, but once the home is sold you know longer have the rights of ownership of that particular home.

The impact of assignment of a copyright work is that you no longer own it and therefore cannot freely use it. If you assign the rights in your work to a publisher, you give up any ownership interests you have in the work.

By assigning the copyright, if you want to include a significant part of the work in a course pack for one of your courses, or in a later publication, you will need to get permission from the publisher. This may mean you will possibly have to pay royalties to use what you authored. Since a copyright lasts for at least 70 years, even if your book goes out of print, you cannot reproduce it without permission.

Be cautious in assigning copyright to publishers and external entities. Make sure that you will be able to accomplish what you want in the future with the work you created.

Licensing is a business arrangement in which one party authorizes another party use of intellectual property and the terms that use might entail.

Licensing of intellectual property allows:

  • Publication

A license is a grant of permission to use a work in a manner that would otherwise infringe a copyright if the permission were not given. Licenses are used by copyright owners to allow others to copy, distribute, adapt, perform or display a copyright work.

How you license a work usually depends on what you are trying to achieve. Licenses can be very broad and grant a number of rights, or they can grant limited rights for limited times. For example, you could grant a publisher the right to use your work in a printed journal, but not grant the right to use the work online. You might grant someone the right to make and distribute copies of a work in a certain class, but not for its use in commercial ventures.

Matching license to goals

By carefully constructing licenses, the owner of a work can control how a work is used and achieve the maximum impact for the work. By thinking through what your goals are for the work, you can match the license rights to achieve your goals.

Some ideas for matching license rights and goals:

  • License by format, distribution, or market. It may be desirable to break up licenses by format and medium of deployment as well as by market sector. This serves the objective of broad dissemination of the results of research and fulfils both academic and public service objectives.
  • Retain update rights. It may also be desirable to retain control over updates and improvements of the work to ensure that the work maintains academic integrity and represents authors and the University appropriately.

UW CoMotion

UW CoMotion manages and pursues licensing arrangements if the University owns or has an interest in a copyrighted work. Licensing a work usually comes with some risk and entails University time and resources to negotiate with potential developers or users of the work, maintain the relationship, and manage the rights and financial arrangements. For more information about this process, contact UW CoMotion .

Public domain

Works that have been released to “Public Domain” are available free of charge and have no restrictions on who uses them or how they are used. Anyone can create proprietary products from works that are in Public Domain. In addition, works in Public Domain can be edited, revised, or sold without notice to the author(s).

Works that are no longer within the statutory protection of copyright are in Public Domain. For information on statutory time limits under the Copyright Act, see the section on Determining Copyright Status .

"Open Source" software code

Some software developers use an “Open Source” model for sharing their software with others. There are many varieties of Open Source licenses. Generally, an Open Source license requires free distribution of the software and distribution of the source code.

Open Source is not the same thing as Public Domain. Public Domain works are not copyrighted; Open Source works are copyrighted and the terms of their use are covered by a license.

Open Source licenses generally fall into two categories:

  • “Permissive” require that the software be distributed for free and come with a permission to redistribute and modify the code. There are distinctions between the Permissive licenses which are articulated here .
  • “Copyleft licenses” require that in addition to being distributed for free, any modifications to the software are also distributed for free. The most common “Copyleft license” is the GNU General Public License (or “GPL”). GNU’s homepage on Copyleft is located here .

Enforcement

Copyrights are enforced through:

  • Copyright registration
  • Controlling use

If you own the copyright in a work, you may sue anyone who violates any of your exclusive rights for damages. Unfortunately, lawsuits are expensive and unless you are making a lot of money from your work, you may find the cost of litigation in federal court may greatly exceed the amount of damages you could recover. 

However in 2020, Congress passed the Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act) which directed the Copyright Office to establish the Copyright Claims Board (“CCB”). For copyright disputes under $30,000, the CCB may be a preferred approach in dispute resolution. 

Registration and litigation

To preserve the right to sue infringers, you need to file a copyright registration on your work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Registration can be filed any time up to three months after an infringement has occurred. However, you can recover greater damages in a lawsuit if you have registered your work prior to infringement.

Since lawsuits are not always practical, you should consider other means of ensuring your work is used by others in accordance with your wishes. The best method for enforcing your rights is through controlling how others may access your work or establishing ground rules for use in a license.

  • Find a Lawyer
  • Legal Topics
  • Intellectual Property Law

Copyright Licensing and Assignment

(This may not be the same place you live)

  What Is Copyright Licensing?

Copyright licensing is the transfer of one or more of a copyright owner’s exclusive rights from the owner to another person or entity so they can make use of them. These rights include the rights to reproduce the work, create derivative works, distribute the work to the public, publicly display visual works, and digitally transmit sound records.

Most often, the transfer of a right or rights is done either with an assignment or a license. With a license, the copyright owner retains their ownership of any right that is transferred. An assignment, on the other hand, transfers all exclusive rights and is comparable to a sale. The original copyright owner basically sells their rights to another person or entity who then essentially owns them.

When an owner assigns their rights to another, they give up the right to control how the rights are used. This is the same as selling any item of personal property; the seller cannot control how the buyer uses the item once it has been sold.

Generally, a license is the preferred type of transaction, if the original copyright holder wants to continue exercising their interests and control over their work. For example, if a person assigns their copyright in a song to a music producer, the decision about whether to allow a film producer to use the song in a film belongs to the producer and not to the original copyright holder.

This result can be avoided if the copyright owner transfers an interest or interests in a song by way of a licensing agreement. Then, the copyright owner retains the ability to license an interest or interests in the song to another entity, e.g., a film producer.

The assignment of a copyright is a form of property, i.e., intellectual property, that can be used like any other item of property that has value. For example, it could be used as security for a loan, bequeathed to heirs, or simply transferred for a price or other consideration .

Once rights have been assigned to another person or entity, the original owner has permanently transferred their right to control the copyrighted work. The original owner would be committing copyright infringement if they were to try to make use of any of the rights that they assigned.

If an original owner were to regret an assignment that they made, they would be able to try to buy back their copyright from the assignee. Then, it would be the choice of the assignee whether to sell their interest or not.

Under federal copyright law, a transfer of ownership is only valid if there is something in writing, e.g., a written assignment agreement, note, or memorandum of transfer, signed by the owner of the copyright or their agent.

The law does not require recording of an assignment with the U.S. Copyright Office, but there are advantages to doing it. For example, it creates a public record of the exact details of the transfer and gives notice to members of the public. It can set the priority of rights if there have been conflicting transfers of ownership. It can validate the transfer of the copyright to one person or entity against another.

What Happens if I Transfer My Exclusive Rights to Another Person?

Can i license the same right to more than one person, how do i transfer my rights to another person, what is a copyright assignment, should i record the transfer of copyright ownership, are transfers permanent, do i need a lawyer to license my copyright.

If the owner of a copyright licenses one or more of their exclusive rights to only one other person or entity with no intention of granting the same right to any other person or entity, the person has granted them an exclusive license.

An exclusive license gives its owner the right to exclude all others, including the original copyright owner, from exercising the rights granted in the license. A copyright owner may choose to grant an exclusive license for several reasons, including:

  • Profiting from their copyright: The licensee may pay the copyright owner for the exclusive use of one or more of their rights;
  • Publicity: For example, the author of a book might authorize a movie studio to produce a movie based on the book in order to draw increased publicity to the author and the book. Of course, it could prove to be highly profitable as well.

A person can license the same right to more than one person as long as they make each and every licensee aware of the fact that they are not getting an exclusive license but rather a nonexclusive one. Presumably, a copyright owner could grant an exclusive license for a larger fee than a non-exclusive one.

If a copyright owner wants to transfer one or more of their rights to another person exclusively, they must put the transfer in writing and sign it. However, the creation of a nonexclusive license requires no written document. In fact, nonexclusive licenses can even be implied if the conduct of the parties indicates licensing.

As noted above, a copyright assignment can be described as a kind of exclusive license in which a copyright owner transfers all of his exclusive rights to another person. Like an exclusive license, a copyright assignment must be in writing.

Recordation of a copyright interest with the U.S. Copyright Office is not required to make it valid, but, again, it is a good idea, especially from the perspective of the person who acquires the interest. By recording the license or assignment, they can protect their rights in the event that the copyright owner licenses to someone else. If a person is the first to receive a license, promptly recording the license can protect them from losing their rights to a competing licensee in the future.

If a copyright owner has placed no time restrictions on a license, the transfer of rights is considered to be permanent for a period of 35 years. At that point, the original copyright owner has a 5-year window in which to exercise their right to terminate any licenses or assignments. If the original copyright owner chooses to end a license at this point, the licensee has to give up all the rights granted in the license.

Of course, a copyright owner can grant a license for a specified period of time. They would have to draft a licensing agreement, perhaps with the help of an intellectual property lawyer, that grants the exact rights the owner wants to grant for a desired period of time with any other conditions and restrictions that they want to place on the grant.

The licensing of a copyright can be complex. LegalMatch.com can connect you to an experienced copyright attorney who can draft a licensing agreement for your copyright that provides you with the interest you want and protects it from the claims of others.

Or, if you are involved in a dispute about an existing license, your lawyer can help you resolve it. A copyright attorney can draft an assignment agreement or other form of assignment as well.

Your lawyer can negotiate a resolution or represent you in court if that should become necessary.

Need a Copyright Lawyer in your Area?

  • Connecticut
  • Massachusetts
  • Mississippi
  • New Hampshire
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • West Virginia

Photo of page author Susan Nerlinger

Susan Nerlinger

LegalMatch Legal Writer

Updating Author

Susan is a member of the State Bar of California. She received her J.D. degree in 1983 from the University of California, Hastings College of Law and practiced plaintiff’s personal injury law for 8 years in California. She also taught civil procedure in the Paralegal program at Santa Clara University. She then taught English as a foreign language for eight years in the Czech Republic. Most recently, she taught English as a second language for Montgomery County Public Schools in suburban Washington, D.C. Now she devotes her time to writing on legal and environmental topics. You can follow her on her LinkedIn page. Read More

Photo of page author Ken LaMance

Ken LaMance

Senior Editor

Original Author

Photo of page author Jose Rivera

Jose Rivera

Managing Editor

Related Articles

  • Copyright Infringement Lawyers Near You
  • Circumvention of Technological Measures that Protect Copyrighted Material
  • Art Lawyers
  • Due Diligence for Copyright
  • Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
  • What Is Copyleft?
  • Secondary Copyright Infringement
  • Copyright Definition
  • Public Domain Music
  • Non-Copyrighted Music Lawyers
  • Music Download Lawyers
  • Copyright Infringement Defenses
  • Copyright Infringement
  • Music Licensing Agreement
  • Copyright Infringement Penalties
  • What is Copyright?
  • Domain Name Infringement
  • E-Book Readers and Copyright Laws
  • Book Copyright Law
  • Poor Man's Copyright
  • Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act Lawyers
  • Website Copyright Infringement
  • Software Piracy Law
  • Copyright Infringement: Minimum Copying Standards
  • Movie Piracy Laws
  • Protecting My Artwork Lawyers
  • Removing a Work of Art From a Building
  • Copyright Protection for Sound Recordings
  • Playing Music in Public
  • File Sharing Lawyers

Discover the Trustworthy LegalMatch Advantage

  • No fee to present your case
  • Choose from lawyers in your area
  • A 100% confidential service

How does LegalMatch work?

Law Library Disclaimer

star-badge.png

16 people have successfully posted their cases

Assignment of copyright: formalities | Practical Law

assignment of copyright in

Assignment of copyright: formalities

Practical law uk articles 2-518-8005  (approx. 9 pages).

Email S&A Law Offices

India: Assignment And Licensing Of Copyright

View Ishan  Sambhar Biography on their website

Introduction

Copyright is a protection given to the creators of certain types of works as an acknowledgment to their intellectual input 1 . The objective of copyright has always been the protection of the interest of a creator, coupled with dissemination of knowledge. Though this protection started with the recognition of rights of authors in their books, but modern technology has substantially changed the nature of work and its mode of exploitation.

Economic rights allow an owner to reap economic benefits from his intellectual creations. According to section 14 of the Copyright Act, 1957, different rights are recognised with respect to the nature of the work. As per this section, it is the exclusive right of the owner to do or authorise the doing of the acts provided thereunder.

The owner of copyright work can generate wealth not only by exploiting it himself but also by sharing it with others for mutual benefits. This can be done by way of assignment or licensing of copyright.

Assignment of Copyright (Section 18)

The owner of the copyright of a work has the right to assign his copyright to any other person. The effect of assignment is that the assignee becomes entitled to all the rights related to the copyright to the assigned work 2 . However, mere grant of right to publish and sell the copyrighted work amounts to publishing right and not assignment of copyright.

Where the assignee of a copyright becomes entitled to any right comprised in the copyright, he shall be treated as the owner of the copyright in respect of those rights. The assignor shall also be treated as the owner of copyright with respect to unassigned rights. The legal representatives of the assignee shall be entitled to the benefits of assignment, if the assignee dies before the work comes into existence.

In Video Master v. Nishi Production 3 , the Bombay High Court considered the issue whether assignment of video rights would include the right of satellite broadcast as well. The Court agreed with the contentions of defendant that there were different modes of communication to the public such as terrestrial television broadcasting (Doordarshan), satellite broadcasting and video TV. The owner of the film had separate copyright in all those modes, and he could assign it to different persons. Thus, satellite broadcast copyright of film was a separate right of the owner of the film and the video copyright assigned to the plaintiff would not include this.

Mode of Assignment (Section 19)

As per section 19, assignment of copyright is valid only if it is in writing and signed by the assignor or his duly authorized agent. The assignment of a copyright in a work should identify the work and specify kind of rights assigned and the duration and territorial extent of such assignment. Further, it should specify the amount of royalty payable, if any, to the author or his legal heirs during the continuance of assignment and the assignment will be subject to revision, extension or termination on terms mutually agreed upon by the parties.

If the period of assignment is not mentioned it will be deemed to be taken as five years from the date of assignment. If the territorial extent of such assignment is not stipulated, it will be taken as applicable in whole of India.

Also, Section 19(8) contemplates that the assignment of copyright work against the terms and conditions on which rights have been assigned to a particular copyright society where the author of the work is a member shall be void. Further, Section 19(9) and section 19(10) opine that the assignment of copyright for making cinematograph film or sound recording shall not affect the right of the author to claim an equal share of the royalties and consideration payable with respect to use of his protected work.

In Saregama India Ltd v. Suresh Jindal 4 , it was held that the owner of the copyright in a future work may assign the copyright to any person either wholly or partially for the whole of the copyright or any part thereof and once the assignment is made the assignee for the purpose of this Act is treated as the owner of the copyright.

Disputes with Respect to Assignment of Copyright (Section 19a)

As per section 19(a) the Appellate Board may on the receipt of a complaint from the assignor and on holding such inquiry as it may deem necessary, revoke such assignment, if the assignee fails to make sufficient exercise of the rights assigned to him , and such failure is not attributable to any act or omission of the assignor.

In case of a dispute with respect to the assignment of copyright, the Appellate Board may pass a suitable order on receiving a complaint from the aggrieved party and after holding such inquiry as it considers necessary including an order for the recovery of any royalty payable.

Assignment by Operation of Law (Section 20)

When the owner of a copyright dies the copyright will pass on to his personal representative as part of the estate, provided that no will has been executed. Section 20 provides that if a person is entitled for copyright under bequest and such work has not been published before the death of the testator, unless contrary intention is shown under testators will or any codicil thereto, such person shall be considered as having copyright in the work so far as testator was the owner of copyright immediately before his death.

Licensing of Copyright

The owner of copyright may grant a license to do any of the act in respect of which he has an exclusive right to do. The license can be classified into following categories:

Voluntary license (Section 30)

The author or the copyright owner has exclusive rights in his creative work and he alone has right to grant license with respect to such work. According to section 30 of the Copyright Act 1957, the owner of the copyright in a work may grant any interest in his copyright to any person by license in writing, which is to be signed by him or by his duly authorised agent. A license can be granted not only in existing work but also in respect of the future work, in this situation assignment shall come into force when such future work comes into existence. Where a licensee of the copyright in a future work dies before such work comes into existence, his legal representatives shall be entitled to the benefit of the license if there is no provision to contrary.

The mode of license is like an assignment deed, with necessary adaptations and modifications in section 19 (section 30A). Therefore, like an assignment, a license deed in relation to a work should comprise of following particulars:

  • Duration of license
  • The rights which have been licensed
  • Territorial extent of the licensed
  • The quantum of royalty payable
  • Terms regarding revision
  • Extension and termination

Voluntary licenses can be:

Exclusive - The term exclusive license has been defined in Section 2(j) as a license which confers on the licensee and persons authorized by him, to the exclusion of all other persons, any right comprised in the copyright work.

Non-exclusive – It does not confer right of exclusion. It is mere grant of an authority to do a particular thing which otherwise would have constituted an infringement. When owner grants an exclusive right, he denudes himself of all rights and retains no claim on the economic rights so transferred.

Co-exclusive – Here the licensor grants a license to more than one licensee but agrees that it will only grant licences to a limited group of other licensees.

Sole license – Where only the licensor and the licensee can use it to the exclusion of any other third party.

Implied license – Author impliedly allows or permits the use of his work. For example, he had knowledge that someone is using his work but he did not take any action.

Compulsory License

Being a member of Berne Convention, India has incorporated the provision of compulsory license in the Copyright Act, 1957. The Act provides for grant of compulsory license for Indian work in the public interest, in certain circumstances:

Works Withheld from Public

The Indian Copyright Act provides for the grant of compulsory licences in work which has been published or performed in public. It empowers the Appellate Board to direct the Registrar to grant license, if a complaint is made to it in writing under the Act, during the subsistence of copyright stating the necessary facts which are conditions precedent to its exercise of power, provided the owner has been approached in the first instance for the grant of license and it is only if he has refused to publish or allow the republication of the work and by the reason of such refusal the work is withheld from the public. In case where two or more persons have made a complaint, the licence shall be granted to the complainant who in the opinion of the Copyright Board would serve the interest of the general public. In Super Cassette Industries Ltd v. Entertainment Network (India) Ltd, Mumbai 5 the respondents who were running a radio FM channel under the brand name Radio Mirchi, made several attempts to obtain a license from Super Cassette Industries ltd (SCIL) to play its sound recordings but failed to get it. The Copyright Board ultimately issued them a compulsory license against which an appeal has been filed in the Delhi High Court. After contemplating over section 31, Court observed that in case compulsory license had to be granted to all, then there was no need of any enquiry as envisaged by section 31. The court also opined that once the copyright was in public, refusal has to be made on reasonable and valid ground. While making an order under section 31, the Board had to maintain a delicate balance between the private rights and the copyright vis-a vis- public interest. The case was sent back to the Copyright Board for fresh consideration.

Compulsory License in Unpublished or Published Work (Section 31-A)

According to this section, where the author is dead or unknown or cannot be traced , or the owner of the copyright in such work cannot be found, any person may apply to the Copyright Board for a licence to publish such work or translation thereof in any language.

Before making such an application, the applicant should publish his proposal in one issue of a daily newspaper in that language. The application to the copyright board should be in the prescribed form and accompanied by the prescribed fee and with the copy of advertisement issued.

The Copyright Board after making the certain prescribed enquires direct the Registrar of Copyright to grant license to the applicant to publish the work or its translation subject to the payment of royalty and other conditions.

Compulsory License for the Benefit of Disabled Persons (Section 31-B)

Any person working for the benefit of persons with disability on a profit basis or for business may apply in prescribed manner to the Appellate Board for a compulsory licence to publish any work in which copyright subsists for the benefit of such persons. However, where a compulsory licence has been issued, the Appellate Board may on a further application and after giving reasonable opportunity to the owners of the rights, extend the period of compulsory licence and allow the issue of more copies as it deems fit. 6

Statutory License for Cover Versions (Section 31-C)

Cover means a sound recording made in accordance with section 31C. Any person desirous of making a cover version, being a sound recording in respect of any literary, dramatic or musical work with the consent or licence of the owner of the work, can do so.

The person making the cover version is required to give prior notice to the owner of the copyright in such works and to the Registrar of Copyright at least 15 days in advance of making the cover version. Advance copies of all covers with which the sound recording is to be sold to be provided or royalties to be paid in advance. One royalty in respect of such sound recordings shall be paid for a minimum of fifty thousand copies of each work during each year. The Delhi High Court in Star India Pvt Ltd v. Piyush Aggarwal 7 , stated that sound recording included a subsequent original sound recording made from the musical and literary work and which was called a version recording i.e. a sound recording made after a first sound recording was made by use of the musical work and literary work.

Statutory Licensing for Broadcasting of Literary and Musical Work and Sound Recording (Section 31-D)

Any broadcasting organization, desirous of communicating published work to the public by way of broadcast (by way of television broadcast or radio) or a performance of any published musical/ lyrical work and sound recording, can do so by giving prior notice of this intention to the owners. The notice must specify the duration and territorial coverage of the broadcast. Corresponding royalties are required to be paid to the owner of copyrighted work. Rates of television broadcasting are different from the rate fixed with respect to radio broadcasting. At the time of fixing the rate of royalty the Copyright Board may ask the broadcasting organisation to deposit some amount of money in advance to the owner.

License to Produce and Publish Translation of Literary or Dramatic Work in any Language (Section 32)

Section 32 of the Copyright Act provides that after expiry of a period of seven years from the first publication of a literary or dramatic work, any person may apply to the Copyright Board for a license to produce and publish a translation of work. Where the work is not Indian work, any person may apply to the Board for a license to produce and publish a translation in printed or analogous form of reproduction of a literary or dramatic work in any language in general use in India after a period of three years from the first publication of such work, if such translation is required for the purpose of teaching, scholarship or research. But where translation is in a language not in general use in any developed country, such application may be made after the period of one year from such publication.

License to Reproduce and Publish Works for Certain Purposes (Section 32-A)

According to this section, any person may apply to the Copyright Board for a license to reproduce and publish any literary, scientific or artistic work after the expiration of the relevant period from the date of first publication of an edition of such work, if the copies of such edition are not made available in India , or such copies have not been put on sale in India for a period of six months to the general public or in connection with systematically instructional activities at a price reasonably related to that normally charged in India for comparable works by the owner of the right of reproduction or by any person authorised by him in this behalf.

The period prescribed are:

  • Seven years for work related to fiction, poetry, drama, music or art
  • Three years for works related to natural science, physical science mathematics or technology
  • Five years for any other work

The term 'assignment' and 'license' are not interchangeable. An assignment is different from a license. Generally, in absence of any provision to the contrary the assignee becomes the owner of the assigned work, whereas in case of a license the licensee gets the right to exercise particular rights only.

An assignment may be general, i.e. without limitation or an assignment may be subject to limitations. It may be for the whole term of copyright or any part thereof. An assignment transfers an interest in and deals with copyright itself as provided under section 14 of the Act, but license does not convey the copyright but only grants a right to do something, which in absence of license would be unlawful. An assignment transfers title in copyright, a license merely permits certain things to be done by licensee. The assignee being invested with the title in the copyright may reassign 8 .

1 This is known as the 'Doctrine of Sweat of the Brow', whereby a work is given copyright protection if the author has applied 'labour, skill or judgment' in creating the work irrespective of the level of originality in the work. Evolved from the decision in Ladbroke v William Hill, [1964] 1 All E.R. 465.

2 Section 18(2)

3 23 IPLR 388 (1998)

4 2007 (34) PTC 522 (Cal )

5 (2004) 29 PTC 8 (DEL)

6 Indian Copyright Act, 1957, Sec- 32 (B)

7 2014 (58) PTC 169 (Del)

8 Deshmukh & co (publishers) pvt ltd v/s avinash vishnu khadekar 2006 (32) PTC 358 (Bom)

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

View Mondaq's Ishan  Sambhar Profile page

  © Mondaq® Ltd 1994 - 2024. All Rights Reserved .

Login to Mondaq.com

Password Passwords are Case Sensitive

Forgot your password?

Why Register with Mondaq

Free, unlimited access to more than half a million articles (one-article limit removed) from the diverse perspectives of 5,000 leading law, accountancy and advisory firms

Articles tailored to your interests and optional alerts about important changes

Receive priority invitations to relevant webinars and events

You’ll only need to do it once, and readership information is just for authors and is never sold to third parties.

Your Organisation

We need this to enable us to match you with other users from the same organisation. It is also part of the information that we share to our content providers ("Contributors") who contribute Content for free for your use.

assignment of copyright in

  • Practical Law

Assignment of copyright: formalities

Practical law uk articles 2-518-8005  (approx. 9 pages).

  • Trade Marks
  • Cross-border - IP&IT
  • Hong Kong - PRC
  • Russian Federation
  • Switzerland
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom

LawBhoomi Logo

Assignment and Licensing of Copyrights under Copyrights Act

  • Intellectual Property Rights Subject-wise Law Notes
  • January 8, 2021

intellectual property rights

Introduction

IP is an intellectual work which is produced by intellectual human brain. For e.g. literary work, musical work, inventions, etc. it is an intangible property. It is described as property because it is capable of sale, purchase, mortgage, etc. the owner if IP has rights over his intangible property. No one can make use of IP without the consent of the owner. IP is made to protect their rights and the infringement.

Copyright is a protection given to the creators of certain types of works as an acknowledgment to their intellectual input [1] . The objective of copyright has always been the protection of the interest of a creator, coupled with dissemination of knowledge. Though this protection started with the recognition of rights of authors in their books, but modern technology has substantially changed the nature of work and its mode of exploitation.

Economic rights allow an owner to reap economic benefits from his intellectual creations. According to section 14 of the Copyright Act, 1957, different rights are recognised with respect to the nature of the work. As per this section, it is the exclusive right of the owner to do or authorise the doing of the acts provided thereunder.

Today copyright includes a variety of industries like: the information industry and the entertainment industry and industrial design.

Assignment of Copyrights : Section 18 of Copyrights Act

The owner of the copyright of a work has the right to assign his copyright to any other person. The effect of assignment is that the assignee becomes entitled to all the rights related to the copyright to the assigned work. [2] However, mere grant of right to publish and sell the copyrighted work amounts to publishing right and not assignment of copyright.

Where the assignee of a copyright becomes entitled to any right comprised in the copyright, he shall be treated as the owner of the copyright in respect of those rights. The assignor shall also be treated as the owner of copyright with respect to unassigned rights. The legal representatives of the assignee shall be entitled to the benefits of assignment, if the assignee dies before the work comes into existence.

In  Video Master v. Nishi  Production [3] , the Bombay High Court considered the issue whether assignment of video rights would include the right of satellite broadcast as well. The Court agreed with the contentions of defendant that there were different modes of communication to the public such as terrestrial television broadcasting (Doordarshan), satellite broadcasting and video TV. The owner of the film had separate copyright in all those modes, and he could assign it to different persons. Thus, satellite broadcast copyright of film was a separate right of the owner of the film and the video copyright assigned to the plaintiff would not include this.

Mode of Assignment: Section 18 of Copyrights Act

As per section 19, assignment of copyright is valid only if it is in writing and signed by the assignor or his duly authorized agent. The assignment of a copyright in a work should identify the work and specify kind of rights assigned and the duration and territorial extent of such assignment. Further, it should specify the amount of royalty payable, if any, to the author or his legal heirs during the continuance of assignment and the assignment will be subject to revision, extension or termination on terms mutually agreed upon by the parties.

If the period of assignment is not mentioned it will be deemed to be taken as five years from the date of assignment. If the territorial extent of such assignment is not stipulated, it will be taken as applicable in whole of India.

Also, Section 19(8) contemplates that the assignment of copyright work against the terms and conditions on which rights have been assigned to a particular copyright society where the author of the work is a member shall be void. Further, Section 19(9) and section 19(10) opine that the assignment of copyright for making cinematograph film or sound recording shall not affect the right of the author to claim an equal share of the royalties and consideration payable with respect to use of his protected work.

In  Saregama India Ltd v. Suresh  Jindal [4] , it was held that the owner of the copyright in a future work may assign the copyright to any person either wholly or partially for the whole of the copyright or any part thereof and once the assignment is made the assignee for the purpose of this Act is treated as the owner of the copyright.

Licensing of Copyright

The owner of copyright may grant a license to do any of the act in respect of which he has an exclusive right to do. The license can be classified into following categories:

Voluntary license: : Section 18 of Copyrights Act

The author or the copyright owner has exclusive rights in his creative work and he alone has right to grant license with respect to such work. According to section 30 of the Copyright Act 1957, the owner of the copyright in a work may grant any interest in his copyright to any person by license in writing, which is to be signed by him or by his duly authorised agent. A license can be granted not only in existing work but also in respect of the future work, in this situation assignment shall come into force when such future work comes into existence. Where a licensee of the copyright in a future work dies before such work comes into existence, his legal representatives shall be entitled to the benefit of the license if there is no provision to contrary.

The mode of license is like an assignment deed, with necessary adaptations and modifications in section 19 (section 30A). Therefore, like an assignment, a license deed in relation to a work should comprise of following particulars:

  • Duration of license
  • The rights which have been licensed
  • Territorial extent of the licensed
  • The quantum of royalty payable
  • Terms regarding revision
  • Extension and termination

Voluntary licenses can be:

Exclusive –  The term exclusive license has been defined in Section 2(j) as a license which confers on the licensee and persons authorized by him, to the exclusion of all other persons, any right comprised in the copyright work.

Non-exclusive  – It does not confer right of exclusion. It is mere grant of an authority to do a particular thing which otherwise would have constituted an infringement. When owner grants an exclusive right, he denudes himself of all rights and retains no claim on the economic rights so transferred.

Co-exclusive –  Here the licensor grants a license to more than one licensee but agrees that it will only grant licences to a limited group of other licensees.

Sole license  – Where only the licensor and the licensee can use it to the exclusion of any other third party.

Implied license –  Author impliedly allows or permits the use of his work. For example, he had knowledge that someone is using his work but he did not take any action.

Compulsory Licenses

 Compulsory and statutory licenses can impact both the identity of the licensee who the owner chooses to deal with and the terms, including rates of royalty, that the owner may stipulate for such dealing. Viewed from this perspective, compulsory licenses are less of an infraction on owner autonomy, on both these counts. The owner does retain a fair bit of autonomy to enter into appropriate licensing arrangements with those who he may deem fit, and he is also permitted to negotiate on the terms of the license within the zone of reasonableness. Normally, it is an unreasonable refusal to deal with a person that gives rise to a compulsory license. This brings us to the third important distinction between a compulsory and statutory license. The former is always granted upon specific application by an individual to the competent authority. The latter, on the other hand, is a blanket fixation of rates of royalty by the authority and a grant of standardised licenses to all those who are interested in availing the same. The owner, as a necessary corollary, has no autonomy on the identity of those who obtain the license, or what they pay as royalty for the same.

 Categories of Compulsory Licenses

There are five main categories of compulsory licenses currently operating in India.

 These are:

1. Licenses in respect of works unreasonably withheld from the public;

 2. Licenses in respect of orphan works;

 3. Licenses in respect of works for the differently abled;

 4. Licenses in respect of translations;

5. Licenses in respect of reproduction and sale of works unavailable in India.

Statutory Licenses

 As seen from the above discussion of compulsory licenses, such licenses can be understood as a particularised expropriation of owner autonomy in respect of the copyrighted work. The need for such expropriation arises only upon acts or inaction on the part of the owner that render the work unavailable to the public or differently abled persons. Statutory licenses, on the other hand, do not require any examination into the conduct of the owner. It attempts a wholesale expropriation of owner autonomy, once the work fits within the broader class of works that can be so licensed.

There are two such categories of statutory licenses, namely cover version recording licenses (Section 31C) and broadcasting licenses (Section 31D).

 The first has existed, though as part of the fair dealing exceptions in Section 52, from the very beginning. The second is a very recent addition to the Act vide the 2012 amendment.

The term ‘assignment’ and ‘license’ are not interchangeable. An assignment is different from a license. Generally, in absence of any provision to the contrary the assignee becomes the owner of the assigned work, whereas in case of a license the licensee gets the right to exercise particular rights only.

An assignment may be general, i.e. without limitation or an assignment may be subject to limitations. It may be for the whole term of copyright or any part thereof. An assignment transfers an interest in and deals with copyright itself as provided under section 14 of the Act, but license does not convey the copyright but only grants a right to do something, which in absence of license would be unlawful. An assignment transfers title in copyright, a license merely permits certain things to be done by licensee. The assignee being invested with the title in the copyright may reassign [5] .

[1] This is known as the ‘Doctrine of Sweat of the Brow’, whereby a work is given copyright protection if the author has applied ‘labour, skill or judgment’ in creating the work irrespective of the level of originality in the work. Evolved from the decision in Ladbroke v William Hill, [1964] 1 All E.R. 465.

[2] Section 18(2); Copyright Act, 1957.

[3] 23 IPLR 388 (1998).

[4] 2007 (34) PTC 522 (Cal).

[5] Deshmukh & co (publishers) pvt ltd v/s avinash vishnu khadekar 2006 (32) PTC 358 (Bom)

Author Name: Muskaan Mathur [Student, Savitribai Phule, Pune University (SPPU)]

You might like

case brief

Kasturi Lal vs State of Uttar Pradesh

Law Books

The Role and Functioning of the Disciplinary Committee of the Bar Council of India

Family Law

Disadvantages of Ex parte Divorce in India

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name  *

Email  *

Add Comment  *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Post Comment

Upgrad jan

Search bar.

  • Legal Queries
  • Files 
  • Online Law Courses 
  • Lawyers Search
  • Legal Dictionary
  • The Indian Penal Code
  • Juvenile Justice
  • Negotiable Instruments
  • Commercial Courts Act
  • The 3 New Criminal Laws
  • Matrimonial Laws
  • Data Privacy
  • Court Fees Act
  • Commercial Law
  • Criminal Law
  • Procedural Law
  • The Constitutional Expert
  • Matrimonial
  • Writs and PILs
  • CrPC Certification Course
  • Criminal Manual
  • Execution U/O 21
  • Transfer of Property
  • Domestic Violence
  • Muslim Laws
  • Indian Constitution
  • Arbitration
  • Matrimonial-Criminal Law
  • Indian Evidence Act
  • Live Classes
  • Writs and PIL

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on LinkedIn

Share on Email

Twinkle Madaan

Twinkle Madaan

Assignment And Licensing Of Copyrights

CCI Online Learning

Coverage of this Article

Key takeaways.

-The owner of a work's copyright has the ability to assign his copyright to anyone else. As a result of the assignment, the assignee acquires all rights relating to the copyright of the assigned work.

Introduction

-Copyright is legal protection granted to creators of certain types of works in recognition of their intellectual contribution.

Assignment of Copyrights (Section 18)

-The owner of a work's copyright has the ability to assign his copyright to anyone else.

Mode of Assignment (Section 19)

-According to section 19, a copyright assignment is only legal if it is made in writing and signed by the assignor or his lawfully authorized representative.

Disputes with Respect to Assignment of Copyright (Section 19a)

-According to Section 19(a), if the assignee fails to make sufficient use of the rights assigned to him and such failure is not attributable to any act or omission of the assignor, the Appellate Board may revoke the assignment after receiving a complaint from the assignor and conducting such inquiry as it deems necessary.

Assignment by Operation of Law (Section 20)

-If the owner of the copyright dies without leaving a will, the copyright will pass to his personal representative as part of his estate.

Licensing of Copyright

-The owner of a copyright may give a license to perform any of the acts over which he has sole authority.

Section 18 of the Copyrights Act defines a: Voluntary Licence

-The author or copyright owner has exclusive rights to his or her creative work, and he or she is the only one who may grant a license for it.

Compulsory license

-Compulsory and statutory licenses can affect the identification of the licensee with whom the owner chooses to do business, as well as the terms, including royalty rates, that the owner may establish.

Statutory license

-Statutory licenses, on the other hand, do not necessitate any investigation into the owner's behavior

-The terms "assignment" and "licensing" are not synonymous. A license is not the same as an assignment.

  • The owner of a work's copyright has the ability to assign his copyright to anyone else. As a result of the assignment, the assignee acquires all rights relating to the copyright of the assigned work.
  • If the assignment period is not specified, it will be assumed to be five years from the date of assignment.
  • In the event of a dispute over the assignment of copyright, the Appellate Board may issue a proper order after receiving a complaint from the aggrieved party and conducting any investigation it deems necessary, including an order for the recovery of any royalties due.
  • The owner of the copyright may also give a license to perform any of the acts over which he has sole authority.

Copyright is legal protection granted to creators of certain types of works in recognition of their intellectual contribution. The purpose of copyright has always been to safeguard a creator's interests while also disseminating knowledge. Though this protection began with the acknowledgment of authors' rights in their writings, contemporary technology has fundamentally altered the nature of work and the means by which it is exploited. An owner's economic rights allow him to profit financially from his intellectual contributions.

Different rights are recognized depending on the nature of the work, according to Section 14 of the Copyright Act of 1957. According to this provision, the owner has the exclusive authority to perform or authorize the performance of the activities listed.

  • The owner of a work's copyright has the ability to assign his copyright to anyone else. As a result of the assignment, the assignee acquires all rights relating to the copyright of the assigned work. The mere grant of the right to publish and sell the copyrighted work, on the other hand, is a grant of publishing rights rather than a copyright assignment.
  • When an assignee of copyright becomes entitled to any of the copyright's rights, he is treated as the copyright's owner in respect of those rights. In the case of unassigned rights, the assignor is also considered the copyright owner. If the assignee dies before the task is completed, the legal representatives of the assignee are entitled to the assignment benefits.
  • In Video Master v. Nishi Production, the Bombay High Court reviewed whether a video rights assignment would include the right to broadcast through satellite as well. The Court agreed with the defendant's assertions that there were various channels of public communication, including terrestrial television transmission (Doordarshan), satellite broadcasting, and video television. In all of those modalities, the film's owner owned distinct copyright, which he might assign to multiple people.
  • As a result, the satellite broadcast copyright of a film was a separate right of the film's owner, and the plaintiff's video copyright did not include it.
  • According to section 19, a copyright assignment is only legal if it is made in writing and signed by the assignor or his lawfully authorized representative. The assignment of a copyright in a work should identify the work and specify the type of rights given, as well as the assignment's duration and territorial scope. It should also include the amount of royalty payable, if any, to the author or his legal heirs during the time of the assignment, as well as the fact that the assignment may be revised, extended, or terminated on mutually agreed-upon terms.
  • If the assignment period is not specified, it will be assumed to be five years from the date of assignment. If the territorial scope of the assignment is not specified, it will be interpreted to apply to the entire country of India.
  • Section 19(8) also states that copyright work assigned in violation of the terms and conditions under which rights have been assigned to a particular copyright organization where the author of the work is a member is void.
  • In addition, Sections 19(9) and 19(10) state that the assignment of copyright for the purpose of making a cinematograph film or sound recording does not affect the author's entitlement to an equal part of the royalties and consideration due for the use of his protected work.
  • It was held in Saregama India Ltd v. Suresh Jindal that the owner of the copyright in a future work may assign the copyright to any person for the whole or part of the copyright and that once the assignment is made, the assignee is treated as the owner of the copyright for the purposes of this Act.
  • According to Section 19(a), if the assignee fails to make sufficient use of the rights assigned to him and such failure is not attributable to any act or omission of the assignor, the Appellate Board may revoke the assignment after receiving a complaint from the assignor and conducting such inquiry as it deems necessary.

If the owner of the copyright dies without leaving a will, the copyright will pass to his personal representative as part of his estate. Section 20 states that if a person is entitled to copyright under bequest and the work has not been published before the testator's death unless the testator's will or any codicil thereto expressly states otherwise, such person is considered to have copyright in the work to the extent that the testator was the owner of copyright immediately before his death.

The owner of a copyright may give a license to perform any of the acts over which he has sole authority. The following are the different types of licenses:

  • The author or copyright owner has exclusive rights to his or her creative work, and he or she is the only one who may grant a license for it.
  • The owner of the copyright in a work may give any interest in his copyright to any person by license in writing, which must be signed by him or his duly authorized representative, according to Section 30 of the Copyright Act 1957.
  • A license can be issued not only for existing work but also for future work; in this case, the assignment will take effect when the future work is completed. If there is no stipulation to the contrary, a licensee of the copyright in a future work who dies before that work comes into existence will be entitled to the benefit of the license.
  • The license mode is similar to an assignment deed, with section 19 providing the appropriate changes and alterations (section 30A). As a result, just like an assignment, a licensing deed for a work should include the following information:
  • Duration of license
  • The rights which have been licensed
  • Territorial extent of the licensed
  • The quantum of royalty payable
  • Terms regarding revision
  • Extension and termination
  • Compulsory and statutory licenses can affect the identification of the licensee with whom the owner chooses to do business, as well as the terms, including royalty rates, that the owner may establish. Compulsory licenses, when viewed in this light, are less of a violation of owner sovereignty on both grounds.
  • The owner does maintain some liberty in terms of entering into proper licensing agreements with those he sees fit, and he is also allowed to negotiate the terms of the license within reason.
  • A compulsory license is usually triggered by an unjustified refusal to deal with a person.
  • This takes us to the third key difference between a mandatory and statutory license. The former is always granted after an individual makes a specific request to the appropriate authority.
  • The latter, on the other hand, is the authority's broad setting of royalty rates and the issuance of standardized licenses to all those who wish to use them. As a necessary corollary, the owner has no control over the identities of persons who receive the license or the amount of royalties they pay.
  • Statutory licenses, on the other hand, do not necessitate any investigation into the owner's behavior. Once the work fits into the broader class of works that can be licensed in this way, it tries a wholesale expropriation of owner autonomy.
  • Cover version recording licenses (Section 31C) and broadcasting licenses are the two types of statutory licenses (Section 31D).
  • The first has existed since the beginning, however as part of the fair dealing exceptions in Section 52. The second is a relatively new addition to the Act, as it was amended in 2012.

The terms "assignment" and "licensing" are not synonymous. A license is not the same as an assignment. In general, unless otherwise stated, the assignee becomes the owner of the assigned work, but in the event of a license, the licensee merely receives the right to exercise specific rights.

An assignment might be broad, i.e. without restrictions, or specific, i.e. with restrictions. It could be for the entire copyright term or just a portion of it. As stipulated by Section 14 of the Act, an assignment transfers an interest in and deals with copyright, whereas a license does not convey the copyright but merely offers permission to do something that would be illegal otherwise. An assignment grants copyright ownership, but a license just allows the licensee to do specified things. The assignee who has been given the copyright title may reassign it.

assignment of copyright in

Click here to Get More Content on LCI Android App

assignment of copyright in

Category Others , Other Articles by - Twinkle Madaan  

Recent Articles

  • Terminating Women Officer For Marriage Is Arbitrary: SC
  • Husband Slapping Wife In Public Will Not Attract Offence Of Outraging Woman's Modesty Under Section 354 IPC
  • Quasi-contracts � The Importance Of Good Faith In Performance
  • IP Protection in Today's Innovative Environment
  • Comprehending Prenuptial Agreements In India: Exploring Types, Origins, Significance, Legal Validity, And A Global Comparative Analysis
  • Fali S. Nariman: A Legacy Of Legal Excellence And Advocacy
  • Is Discrimination A Result of Your Workplace Injury?
  • How Can You Deal with Legal Matters When in a Foreign Country?
  • Firecrackers & Freedom: Are American Holidays Safe?
  • Prosecution Under Water And Air Act Can Be Launched Only By Way Of Complaint Case, Police Can't Register FIR: P&H HC

More »

Article Writer of the Month

Popular Articles

  • Restriction Imposed On Coaching Centres
  • Legal Services Provided By Individual Advocate Or A Partnership Firm Of Advocates Are Exempted From Levy Of Service Tax: Bombay HC
  • Not Mandatory For Criminal Court To Issue Notice To Victim At Pre-Trial Stage: Delhi HC
  • Understanding The Position Of Determinable Contracts: Their Relationship With The Specific Relief Act, Amendments, Common Law Perspectives, And Interpretations By Indian Courts Over The Time
  • Common Mistakes After a Car Crash: Attorney Advice
  • Breaking Barriers: Introducing LegalEdge by Toprankers - Your Pathway to Success in the Legal World

LCI Articles

You can also submit your article by sending to email

Browse by Category

  • Business Law
  • Constitutional Law
  • Labour & Service Law
  • Legal Documents
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • Property Law

update

  • Top Members
  • Share Files
  • LCI Online Learning

Member Strength 10,01,543 and growing..

Download LCI APP

LCI Android App

Our Network Sites

CAclubindia

  • We are Hiring
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy

© 2024 LAWyersclubindia.com. Let us grow stronger by mutual exchange of knowledge.

Lawyersclubindia Search

Whatsapp groups, login at lawyersclubindia.

login

Alternatively, you can log in using:

Facebook

Understanding Assignment of Copyright

Understanding Assignment of Copyright

Copyright is a bundle of rights and can be exploited in several ways independently from each other. Each work has various rights, such as theatrical rights, distribution rights, rental rights, broadcasting rights, rights related to adoption and translation, rights to prepare derivative works, and so on, each of which can be exploited separately. These rights can be disjointedly assigned for a limited term or perpetually.

What is an Assignment of Copyright?

An assignment is, in spirit, a transfer of ownership, even if it is partial. The copyright owner in an existing work or the future owner of the copyright in a further work may assign to any person the copyright either wholly or partially, either generally or subject to limitation, either for the whole of copyright or any part thereof. In case the assignment of copyright is for any future work, the assignment will take effect only when the work is in an expressed form and not just an idea.

No one has the right to copy, reproduce, sell, or publish an original work without the permission of the creator. It means that only the owner of the copyright can transfer the ownership of the copyright to a third party. Another important thing to note is that with the assignment of a copyright, the assignee shall also enjoy all the rights related to the copyright of the assigned work.

An assignment has two objectives:

  • Where an assignee is concerned, it confers on him the right of exploitation of work for a specified period in the specified territory; and;
  • For the assignor, it confers on him the right to receive a royalty on the work assigned.

Mode of Assignment of Copyright

The owner of the copyright in the existing or future work may assign it to any person. It can be assigned either wholly or partially and with or without limitation on the whole or any part of the copyright. Assignment of copyright in any work shall not be valid unless it is in writing and signed by the assignor or by his authorized agent. Oral assignment of copyright is usually neither permissible nor valid. It shall identify the work and specify the rights assigned, the duration, the territorial extent of such assignment, and the amount of royalty payable to the author.

Difference between Assignment and Licensing of Copyright

Copyright license and assignment of copyright are two dissimilar terms that cannot be used interchangeably. Each of them is different in its own way. A license provides approval of an act, and without it, the authorization would amount to infringement. Licensing usually involves authorizing some of the rights out of many. It can either be exclusive or non-exclusive. In the case of assignment, it includes the disposal of the copyright, which in simple terms means the assignor assigns the copyright to another person or the transfer of ownership of the copyright to some other person, whereas in the case of a license, only some Intellectual Property (IP) is transferred and the ownership is not transferred to the licensee. A license does not confer any right to the licensee against a third party or licensor, but an exclusive licensee has substantial rights against the licensor and even a right to sue the licensor.

A licensee also has the right to make amendments provided that his license does not restrict that right. In case there is a failure in paying the royalties, the licensor can revoke the license. When it comes to the assignment, the same is not possible. However, if there is anything harsh that can affect the author, it may lead to revocation in the event of a complaint made to the copyright board.

A copyright license, unlike a copyright assignment, needs to be in writing. It can be oral or implied after considering all the facts and circumstances relating to the transaction between the owner of the copyright and the licensee. Thus, if an individual who is the owner of a copyrighted work thinks about assigning the copyright, he can consider licensing his copyright instead of assigning it. It would help in retaining ownership, thereby licensing only certain rights to another party.

Essential Features of a Copyright Assignment Agreement

  • The assignment must specify the amount of copyright. The creator shall not assign or waive the right to receive royalties to be shared on an equal basis with the assignee of copyright, subject to certain conditions.
  • The ownership may be assigned either wholly or partially.
  • The assignment should also specify the duration.
  • The territorial extent of such assignment should be specified.
  • The assignment shall be subject to revision, extension, or termination on terms mutually agreed upon by the parties.
  • The creator is entitled to subsequent royalties in the course of future exploitation of a work.
  • The assignee has the rights of translation, abridgment, adaptation, and dramatic and filmmaking in the work after obtaining the rights via assignment deed.

The main objective of the assignment process is to give financial and distribution benefits to the original work. Copyright assignment can prove to be a necessity in this world as it may lead to enhancing the potential of the original work by reaching several individuals as they may add their creativity to the original work. However, the practicality of copyright assignment has been controversial on several occasions due to the increasing number of Copyright Infringement cases. ✅ For more visit:  https://www.kashishipr.com/

leave a Comment Cancel reply

Post Comment

Subscribe to our newsletter

Recent posts.

  • Here’s How You Can Maintain Your Trademark Registration in India
  • Understanding the Essentials & Attributes of a Trademark
  • Here’s Why You Should Handle a Trademark Assignment Properly
  • Intellectual Property Rights Involved in Advertising Campaigns
  • Exploring the Top Four Ways to Stop Brand Counterfeiting

Recent Comments

  • November 2022  (1)
  • October 2022  (3)
  • September 2022  (4)
  • August 2022  (5)
  • July 2022  (4)
  • June 2022  (5)
  • May 2022  (4)
  • April 2022  (4)
  • March 2022  (5)
  • February 2022  (4)
  • January 2022  (4)
  • December 2021  (5)
  • November 2021  (4)
  • October 2021  (4)
  • September 2021  (6)
  • August 2021  (5)
  • July 2021  (4)
  • June 2021  (6)
  • May 2021  (3)
  • April 2021  (5)
  • March 2021  (6)
  • February 2021  (4)
  • January 2021  (4)
  • December 2020  (5)
  • November 2020  (4)
  • October 2020  (3)
  • August 2020  (2)
  • July 2020  (9)
  • June 2020  (6)
  • May 2020  (4)
  • April 2020  (7)
  • March 2020  (3)
  • February 2020  (8)
  • January 2020  (16)
  • December 2019  (15)
  • November 2019  (12)
  • October 2019  (21)
  • September 2019  (16)
  • August 2019  (12)
  • July 2019  (20)
  • June 2019  (14)
  • May 2019  (18)
  • April 2019  (1)
  • Copyright (50)
  • Domain Names (2)
  • Geographical Indications (15)
  • Industrial Design (18)
  • Intellectual Property Rights (140)
  • IP Portfolio Review and Management (1)
  • Patent (80)
  • Trademark (93)

Like Us On Facebook

Copyright © 2019 KIPG All rights reserved.

Designed and Developed by K-erda

Copyright Assignment Agreement

Jump to section, what is a copyright assignment agreement.

A copyright assignment agreement is a legal document transferring the ownership and rights of a specific creative work or works. A copyright assignment agreement protects the rights of parties involved by clarifying and providing a record of ownership of a work, especially in the event of a transfer.

Notarization of a copyright assignment agreement is not legally required, but it is always a good idea to get an agreement like this notarized. Copyright assignment agreements can cover works such as writing or artwork and are sometimes known as a sales agreement for copyright.

Common Sections in Copyright Assignment Agreements

Below is a list of common sections included in Copyright Assignment Agreements. These sections are linked to the below sample agreement for you to explore.

Copyright Assignment Agreement Sample

Reference : Security Exchange Commission - Edgar Database, EX-10.15 16 d437016dex1015.htm INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT , Viewed October 13, 2021, View Source on SEC .

Who Helps With Copyright Assignment Agreements?

Lawyers with backgrounds working on copyright assignment agreements work with clients to help. Do you need help with a copyright assignment agreement?

Post a project  in ContractsCounsel's marketplace to get free bids from lawyers to draft, review, or negotiate copyright assignment agreements. All lawyers are vetted by our team and peer reviewed by our customers for you to explore before hiring.

Meet some of our Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers

Moss S. on ContractsCounsel

Over 30 years of experience practicing commercial real estate and complex business litigation law.

Bruce B. on ContractsCounsel

Bruce Burk practice is in the area of small business, labor and employment, contracts, real estate and civil litigation. Bruce has litigated over 40 trials as well as many appeals. He prioritizes client communication and satisfaction as well as delivering high quality work product.

Cory B. on ContractsCounsel

Attorney Cory Barack specializes in business, real estate, probate, and energy law. He can help you with oil/gas leases, easements, property sales, drafting contracts and wills, setting up companies, and resolving disputes. He is licensed to practice law in Ohio and is located in Eastern Ohio.

Daehoon P. on ContractsCounsel

Advised startups and established corporations on a wide range of commercial and corporate matters, including VC funding, technology law, and M&A. Commercial and Corporate Matters • Advised companies on commercial and corporate matters and drafted corporate documents and commercial agreements—including but not limited to —Convertible Note, SAFE, Promissory Note, Terms and Conditions, SaaS Agreement, Employment Agreement, Contractor Agreement, Joint Venture Agreement, Stock Purchase Agreement, Asset Purchase Agreement, Shareholders Agreement, Partnership Agreement, Franchise Agreement, License Agreement, and Financing Agreement. • Drafted and revised internal regulations of joint venture companies (board of directors, employment, office organization, discretional duty, internal control, accounting, fund management, etc.) • Advised JVs on corporate structuring and other legal matters • Advised startups on VC funding Employment Matters • Drafted a wide range of employment agreements, including dental associate agreements, physician employment agreements, startup employment agreements, and executive employment agreements. • Advised clients on complex employment law matters and drafted employment agreements, dispute settlement agreements, and severance agreements. General Counsel • As outside general counsel, I advised startups on ICOs, securities law, business licenses, regulatory compliance, and other commercial and corporate matters. • Drafted or analyzed coin or token sale agreements for global ICOs. • Assisted clients with corporate formations, including filing incorporation documents and foreign corporation registrations, drafting operating and partnership agreements, and creating articles of incorporation and bylaws. Dispute Resolution • Conducted legal research, and document review, and drafted pleadings, motions, and other trial documents. • Advised the client on strategic approaches to discovery proceedings and settlement negotiation. • Advised clients on employment dispute settlements.

Abraham W. on ContractsCounsel

Abraham's practice focuses on counseling emerging group companies in the technology and other commercial agreements, and assisting equity financings (specifically venture capital).

Dave Y. on ContractsCounsel

I am available for data privacy and cybersecurity projects. I am CIPP/US certified through the IAPP. I have also taken coursework focused on the GDPR through the London School of Economics. In my past career I was an intelligence officer. I am well acquainted with information security best practices and I have experience developing and implementing administrative controls for classified information and PII. I have worked extensively overseas and I am comfortable integrating with remote teams. Feel free to reach out any time if you have any additional questions on my areas of expertise or professional background.

Peter W. Y. on ContractsCounsel

Peter W. Y.

Perceptive, solution-driven counselor and experienced attorney. Record of successful verdicts, settlements, negotiations, arbitrations, mediations, and deals. Effective claims management, litigation strategy, and risk consulting. Proven ability to oversee litigation teams, communicate to stakeholders, manage multiple projects effectively, and expand business relationships. Extensive experience handling legal issues in engineering and construction, environmental litigation, corporate and contractual, and insurance issues.

Find the best lawyer for your project

How it works.

Post Your Project

Get Free Bids to Compare

Hire Your Lawyer

Intellectual Property lawyers by top cities

  • Austin Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • Boston Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • Chicago Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • Dallas Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • Denver Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • Houston Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • Los Angeles Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • New York Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • Phoenix Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • San Diego Intellectual Property Lawyers
  • Tampa Intellectual Property Lawyers

Copyright Assignment Agreement lawyers by city

  • Austin Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • Boston Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • Chicago Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • Dallas Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • Denver Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • Houston Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • Los Angeles Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • New York Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • Phoenix Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • San Diego Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers
  • Tampa Copyright Assignment Agreement Lawyers

related contracts

  • 93a Demand Letter
  • Accounting Services Agreement
  • Accounts Receivable Purchase Agreement
  • Ad Agency Contract
  • Adhesion Contract
  • Advertising Services Agreement
  • Agency Agreement
  • Agency Contract

other helpful articles

  • How much does it cost to draft a contract?
  • Do Contract Lawyers Use Templates?
  • How do Contract Lawyers charge?
  • Business Contract Lawyers: How Can They Help?
  • What to look for when hiring a lawyer

assignment of copyright in

Quick, user friendly and one of the better ways I've come across to get ahold of lawyers willing to take new clients.

Contracts Counsel was incredibly helpful and easy to use. I submitted a project for a lawyer's help within a day I had received over 6 proposals from qualified lawyers. I submitted a bid that works best for my business and we went forward with the project.

I never knew how difficult it was to obtain representation or a lawyer, and ContractsCounsel was EXACTLY the type of service I was hoping for when I was in a pinch. Working with their service was efficient, effective and made me feel in control. Thank you so much and should I ever need attorney services down the road, I'll certainly be a repeat customer.

I got 5 bids within 24h of posting my project. I choose the person who provided the most detailed and relevant intro letter, highlighting their experience relevant to my project. I am very satisfied with the outcome and quality of the two agreements that were produced, they actually far exceed my expectations.

Want to speak to someone?

Get in touch below and we will schedule a time to connect!

Find lawyers and attorneys by city

Logo

How to foster a civic mindset in the era of AI

Create spaces that allow small groups of people to see themselves in a broader context, encourage them to dream of what possibilities and opportunities could exist and then help them to take action

Robert Huish's avatar

Robert Huish

  • More on this topic

Volunteers at a food bank

Created in partnership with

Dalhousie University logo

You may also like

Button badges with the Scottish saltire pile up

Popular resources

.css-1txxx8u{overflow:hidden;max-height:81px;text-indent:0px;} Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn?

A diy guide to starting your own journal, artificial intelligence and academic integrity: striking a balance, contextual learning: linking learning to the real world, how mathematical practices can improve your writing.

Civic mindsets can develop in two ways: by challenging power structures or by finding opportunities in them. Challenging existing structures often requires some form of protest. We can find opportunities in them by using their approaches in volunteering and civic activities. Protest and community service are two things that AI can’t do, nor can it help students foster the values needed for solidarity or volunteerism.

Around 2010, a number of scholars realised the potential for formalising activism as education. There was a surge of publications and special courses embracing activist experiential learning. Professors working toward building confidence in civic engagement as protest, or in deep readings of solidarity, were routinely attacked by sceptics who suggested that activism should have no place on campus. 

In building civic-mindedness through volunteerism, many universities also embraced experiential learning to bolster community-based participation or even international service learning. These programmes became enormously popular with the offer of combining real-world experience for credit while bolstering extracurricular experience. Private firms became involved by offering some rather disingenuous opportunities for service learning that entrenched colonial aspects of patriarchy while expecting volunteers to pay out thousands for the opportunity. Even local-level experiential learning came under fire for being unable to “check the privilege” of affluent students doing service learning with the poor.

The right attacks civic-mindedness as activism, and the left attacks civic-mindedness as volunteerism. That puts professors in a difficult position if they aim to make the classroom a platform for fostering greater civic engagement. It gets trickier. Not only does AI bring further opportunities to disengage students from course content, but it is impervious to fostering values of civic engagement. I asked ChatGPT if teaching activism or volunteerism was controversial. It told me that it was a multifaceted issue because teaching activism can be “contentious” while teaching volunteerism is not inherently controversial but could raise concerns. Bots love the word “multifaceted”.

The problem is that labelling a conversation “multifaceted” offers little room to connect students to issues or to build confidence to engage in the issues that shape their lives and the world around them. So how do we deal with the bots? They are not going anywhere any time soon, and neither are the political critiques against educators who choose to build civic-mindedness. The key lies in an instructor’s ability to present pressing social and global issues in a way that helps students identify their roles in relation to them.  

Find ways to connect students to global issues

Global issues are difficult to envision, and when it comes to the size of an issue, such as global poverty, the numbers can be so overwhelming that students may disengage. Push back by demonstrating progress on the issue. In 1980, 40 per cent of the world lived in extreme poverty. What about today? 10 per cent, 30 per cent or 50 per cent? The answer is 10 per cent, and most people get it wrong because it’s hard to accept that poverty rates plummeted in an era when global inequalities became wider than ever. So now the issue isn’t about there being too many people, or that poverty is inevitable, but that wealth and opportunity are imbalanced. 

  • Resource collection:  Teach your students to be engaged citizens
  • Voting counts: how to get more students to the ballot box
  • How universities can embed democratic principles and practices into the student experience

Innovate assignments  

As educators, we need to set assignments that test knowledge and confidence in approaching global issues. This might require using tools we haven’t had to rely on in the past. Instead of expository essays, set reports that seek students’ unique perspectives on global issues. Offer the types of assignments that invite students to write about personal experiences, to which the chatbots would respond: “I don’t have personal feelings or experiences”. I use Dollar Street , a tool dedicated to debunking stereotypes, to show students what the poorest and richest homes in the world look like, along with the families that live in them. Doing this brings home what life is really like on different income levels. Next semester, I’ll be offering a similar exercise involving cooking to see whether students can prepare meals based on income levels in poor or rich places. 

Find other ways to motivate students other than with marks 

Don’t oversell the value of your class content or make promises that one motivated student can change the world. But allow for simulations and exchanges that give students a chance to test new ideas in the real world while breaking down stereotypes. I have tried this in several formats, from an online simulation of pandemic management to a trip to Havana to engage in a historical and cultural scavenger hunt around the city. Encourage audacity, which means embracing failed ideas as the strongest learning moments. Civic engagement, be it through activism or volunteerism, requires long-standing commitments to tiring work. Reinforce the values of a university education for skills development. The critical knowledge born on campus can have a massive influence on the way the world works, and being part of the university community helps students find the opportunities to make that impact.

Educators are up against political attacks, disinformation and now, increasingly, adapting but apathetic chatbots. The way that we go forward shouldn’t change; we create spaces that allow small groups of people to see themselves in a broader context, encourage them to dream of what possibilities and opportunities could exist, and then help them to take action. Not every student will come with you, but some will. And those that do will be the ones we turn to for innovation, ideas, leadership and collaboration when the chatbots are eventually left scratching their heads about what more inclusive and engaged civil societies should look like. 

Robert Huish is associate professor in the department of international development studies at Dalhousie University.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,  sign up for the Campus newsletter .

Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn?

Four ways to help academics achieve better work-life balance, decolonising the curriculum – how do i get started, campus webinar: how will he keep up with digitalisation, five reasons why primary sources should be used for teaching, online learning is still challenging for students – they need our support.

Register for free

and unlock a host of features on the THE site

  • Toggle navigation

COMD 1162 | D030 | Prof. Madhura Redij | Spring 2024

  • Course Profile
  • Grading Policy
  • Contact Info & Communications

Homework Assignments

  • Announcements
  • Survey & Quizzes
  • Discussions
  • Homework Posts
  • Course Resources
  • College Resources

OpenLab Help

  • Pixel Art Assignment – Shape Builder Tool
  • Choose an artwork from this folder .
  • See this presentation for screenshots.
  • Open a new Illustrator document, 1000px by 1000px dimension, RGB color mode.
  • Now we will create a grid that will serve as our “pixels”, using the Rectangular Grid Tool in Illustrator (image 1).
  • After selecting the Rectangular Grid Tool, click on the artboard to open the options window for the tool (image 2), and input the following parameters: Width: 800px, Height: 800px; Horizontal Dividers number: 80, Vertical Dividers number: 80.
  • Align the grid to the center of the artboard using the Align window (Window > Align) (image 3).
  • Now, import your chosen image into Illustrator (File > Place). You can use keyboard shortcut Shift + Cmd + P for Mac, or Shift + Ctrl + P for Windows (image 4).
  • Place your image on the artboard and scale it to the size of the grid while holding down Shift button. This will preserve the aspect ratio of the image as you scale (image 5).
  • Move the image behind the grid Cmd + [ for Mac and Ctrl + [ for windows. Select the image and lock the image in place (Object > Lock > Selection) or Cmd + 2 on Mac and Ctrl + 2 on Windows (image 5).
  • Now we are ready to begin the pixelation. We will do this by combining shapes on the grid according to color, using the shape builder tool (Shift + M).
  • Watch this video to see how to use Shape Builder tool.
  • Select the grid and then select the Shape Builder tool. Click and drag your mouse over areas of the same color. The goal is to cluster similar colors together (image 6).
  • Finish doing this for the entire artwork. We will color it in in next class.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About This Course

Prof. M. Redij [email protected] Tuesdays, 8am – 11:20am Room P-124

Basic concepts related to the two fundamental digital graphic forms (raster and vector graphics) and learning best uses and practices for each. This course covers basic digital imaging terminology and techniques including size, resolution, color space, file elements, measurements, file formats, and scanning software and hardware. Class projects require students to explore the meaning of communication through design and how it correlates with client satisfaction and target audience. Students become proficient with both raster and vector applications, such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

  • Getting Started
  • Adding a Comment
  • Writing a Post

Recent Posts

  • Class 02 – Asynchronous
  • Discussion: Introductions
  • This is how we make a post

Recent Comments

Member portfolios, acknowledgments.

This course is based on the following course(s):

  • COMD by Maureen Neuringer , Jenna Spevack
  • COMD 1162 by Prof. Mary Brown

Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)

Unless otherwise noted, this site by Maureen Neuringer has a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license. Learn more.

© 2024 Raster and Vector Graphics

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑

The OpenLab at City Tech: A place to learn, work, and share

The OpenLab is an open-source, digital platform designed to support teaching and learning at City Tech (New York City College of Technology), and to promote student and faculty engagement in the intellectual and social life of the college community.

New York City College of Technology

New York City College of Technology | City University of New York

Accessibility

Our goal is to make the OpenLab accessible for all users.

Learn more about accessibility on the OpenLab

Creative Commons

  • - Attribution
  • - NonCommercial
  • - ShareAlike

Creative Commons

© New York City College of Technology | City University of New York

IMAGES

  1. Assignment Of Copyright Template Free

    assignment of copyright in

  2. Copyright Assignment Agreement Template

    assignment of copyright in

  3. Copyright Assignment and Licensing

    assignment of copyright in

  4. Tawi Copyright Assignment Agreement

    assignment of copyright in

  5. Copyright Assignment Agreement Template

    assignment of copyright in

  6. Copyright Assignment Template

    assignment of copyright in

VIDEO

  1. Assignment of Copyright (FOR PRE-LAW 3 AND LLB PART 1)

  2. Lettering, 1939

  3. Modes of assignment under copyright act 1957 |● ipr #legal #copyright #indianlaw #copyrightact

  4. Strepsils Commercial

  5. VTU, 21RMI56, Research Methodology & IPR, Question & Answer, Module 4, Part 4

  6. What is Copyright?

COMMENTS

  1. Assignment/Transfer of Copyright Ownership

    Yes. Like any other property, all or part of the rights in a work may be transferred by the owner to another. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section " Transfer of Copyright ," for a discussion of ownership. Do you have any forms for transfer of copyrights? There are no forms provided by the Copyright Office to effect a copyright transfer.

  2. Understanding an assignment of copyright agreement

    Copyright assignment permits a third party, known as the assignee, to take ownership of the copyright from the owner, or assignor. The assignment must be done in writing to be valid. Although notarization isn't required, it's a good idea to have someone witness the assignor and assignee signing and dating the agreement.

  3. Copyright assignment—How-to guide

    A copyright assignment is the transfer of an owner's property rights in a given creative work or works. Such transfers may occur on their own or as parts of larger asset sales or purchases. Copyright assignment agreements provide records of ownership and transfer and protect the rights of all parties.

  4. Copyright law of the United States

    The copyright law of the United States grants monopoly protection for "original works of authorship". ... In the absence of an express assignment of copyright, the author of each individual work in the collection retains copyright in that work. The compiler, or author of the collection, owns copyright in the expression he or she contributed ...

  5. Assignment of Copyrights & Legal Implications

    Last reviewed October 2023 Read about how to assign rights in your copyright of a work to another party, and reasons why you might choose to make an assignment.

  6. Copyright Assignment

    A Copyright Assignment is a document used when one person owns a copyright to any kind of work (such as a screenplay, novel, painting, or song) and wishes to transfer the ownership of that copyright to another person.

  7. Copyright Assignments

    A copyright assignment is an important medium for transferring legal ownership of a copyright from the initial holder, who may transfer all or a portion of their rights in the original work to a third-party. These rights include all those inherent to copyright ownership, including the rights to reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords ...

  8. Copyright transfer agreement

    A copyright transfer agreement or copyright assignment agreement is an agreement that transfers the copyright for a work from the copyright owner to another party.

  9. PDF Copyright Assignment & Guidelines

    copyright assignment can help in both circumstances. A copyright assignment is the transfer of an owner's property rights in a given creative work or works. Such transfers may occur on their own or as parts of larger asset sales or purchases.

  10. Free Copyright Assignment Agreement

    A copyright assignment agreement is between a seller (assignor) that transfers the ownership of a copyright to a buyer (assignee). It is common for a copyright to be assigned either through the sale of a business or a separate sale. After an agreement has been signed the copyright must be assigned using the U.S. Copyright Office (website).

  11. Managing Rights

    The consolidation of rights is accomplished through either an assignment of copyright, which transfers ownership of the work to another, or through a license, which grants permission to use a work in a certain way. Both assignments and licenses are part of creating works within a university setting. Creators may be asked to assign rights in ...

  12. What Is Assignment and Licensing under Copyright Law?

    The assignment of a copyright is a form of property, i.e., intellectual property, that can be used like any other item of property that has value. For example, it could be used as security for a loan, bequeathed to heirs, or simply transferred for a price or other consideration.

  13. Assignment of copyright: formalities

    by Practical Law Published on 01 Aug 2016 • Expand Brazil, Canada (Common Law), Germany... This table summarises the formalities required for the assignment of copyright. This table is part of the global guide to IP law. For a full list of jurisdictional Q&As visit www.practicallaw.com/ip-guide.

  14. PDF Recordation of Transfers and Other Documents

    not pertain to a copyright include a bill of lading referring to a shipment of motion pictures and an assignment of rights in a patent or trademark. If a document does not appear to have any direct or indirect relationship to a copyright claim, the Office may communicate with the remitter and may refuse to record the document.

  15. Assignment And Licensing Of Copyright

    The assignment of a copyright in a work should identify the work and specify kind of rights assigned and the duration and territorial extent of such assignment.

  16. Assignment of copyright: formalities

    Assignment of copyright: formalities Practical Law UK Articles 2-518-8005 (Approx. 9 pages) Ask a question Assignment of copyright: formalities. by Practical Law. Related Content. This table summarises the formalities required for the assignment of copyright.

  17. Assignment and Licensing of Copyrights under Copyrights Act

    Assignment of Copyrights: Section 18 of Copyrights Act The owner of the copyright of a work has the right to assign his copyright to any other person. The effect of assignment is that the assignee becomes entitled to all the rights related to the copyright to the assigned work. [2]

  18. What is the concept of Assignment of Copyright?

    The Copyright Assignment must be in writing and signed by the assignor or by his duly authorized agent. [vide Section 19 (1) of the Act] The duration of assignment must also be specified.

  19. Assignment And Licensing Of Copyrights

    The assignment of a copyright in a work should identify the work and specify the type of rights given, as well as the assignment's duration and territorial scope. It should also include the amount of royalty payable, if any, to the author or his legal heirs during the time of the assignment, as well as the fact that the assignment may be ...

  20. Recordation Overview

    Under the Copyright Act, the U.S. Copyright Office accepts certain types of documents for filing and indexing into the Office's public records. There are three primary types of documents that may be submitted for recordation: transfers of copyright ownership, other documents pertaining to a copyright, and notices of termination.

  21. Understanding Assignment of Copyright

    An assignment is, in spirit, a transfer of ownership, even if it is partial. The copyright owner in an existing work or the future owner of the copyright in a further work may assign to any person the copyright either wholly or partially, either generally or subject to limitation, either for the whole of copyright or any part thereof.

  22. Copyright Assignment Agreement: Definition & Sample

    A copyright assignment agreement is a legal document transferring the ownership and rights of a specific creative work or works. A copyright assignment agreement protects the rights of parties involved by clarifying and providing a record of ownership of a work, especially in the event of a transfer.

  23. How to foster a civic mindset in the era of AI

    Offer the types of assignments that invite students to write about personal experiences, to which the chatbots would respond: "I don't have personal feelings or experiences". I use Dollar Street , a tool dedicated to debunking stereotypes, to show students what the poorest and richest homes in the world look like, along with the families ...

  24. City of Chicago :: Mayor Brandon Johnson Appoints Julie Hernandez

    CHICAGO - Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Julie Hernandez-Tomlin as Commissioner of the Department of Fleet and Facility Management (2FM).Hernandez-Tomlin brings to her new role nearly two decades of experience working with the City of Chicago. She has held leadership roles at both the Chicago Department of Water Management and the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation.

  25. Unit 3 Lecture Assignment_Physical Properties MC.docx

    Unit 3: Matter and Minerals Lecture Assignment: Practice with Physical Properties Name: _____ Date:_____ All answers should be in BLUE font. Objective: This assignment is meant as practice with physical properties reviewed in lecture, as well as to get students accustomed to using the mineral testing tools provided in their rock and mineral kits.

  26. Pixel Art Assignment

    Prof. M. Redij [email protected] Tuesdays, 8am - 11:20am Room P-124. Basic concepts related to the two fundamental digital graphic forms (raster and vector graphics) and learning best uses and practices for each.

  27. Recordation System

    Using the Recordation System. The new Recordation System allows users to electronically submit transfers of copyright ownership and other documents pertaining to a copyright for recordation. Use of the Recordation System is optional and is governed by 37 CFR § 201.4(h) and the Special Pilot Program Rules.While the public may continue to submit transfers of copyright ownership and other ...

  28. 138TH Regiment First Sergeant Vacancy Announcement

    The INARNG is accepting applications for the following vacancy: Unit and UIC: 138TH Regiment (RTI)/W8FMA1 Location: Camp Atterbury BLDG 5 MOS: 00F Preferred Qualities / Qualifications (if applicable): Previous assignment within the 138th Regiment (RTI) or other State RTI. NCO who holds "8" SQI or is ABIC or CFD-IC Qualified. Previous experience or assignment within TRADOC or IG Special ...