Assignment of copyright

Published byDocMuse

Paying for a work to be created does not by itself transfer the rights in it. The contract settles which rights are assigned, for which territory, for how long, exclusively or not, and whether the assignee may pass them on. Without those terms a client pays for a logo or a text they then cannot use freely, and the author loses control without having meant to.

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Common questions

I paid for the logo — is it mine now?

Paying for a work to be created does not by itself transfer the rights to use it. Without a contract a client often has the right to use the work for the purpose it was commissioned for, but not to alter it, pass it on or register it. That is why the scope is agreed expressly.

What does an exclusive assignment mean?

That for the term and the territory, only the assignee may use the work in the agreed way — including as against the author themselves. A non-exclusive assignment lets the author give it to others as well.

Can I alter the work?

Only if that is agreed. The right to adapt is separate from the right to use — without it, a client has the logo but cannot lawfully change its colours for a new campaign.

Does the author remain the author after the contract?

Yes. Moral rights stay theirs and are not transferred. The practical consequence is attribution — which is why the contract has a separate field for how, and whether, the name is given when the work is used.