Today’s post takes a look at some dangerous copyright pitfalls authors need to be aware of – and avoid. Beware Losing Your Copyrights Through a Contract. The most dramatic copyright danger is loss of the author’s copyright through contract. No “standard” publishing contract should ever contain a grant or transfer of the copyright to the publisher. A contract which contains a transfer of copyright is essentially a “work for hire” agreement, where the writer retains no rights to the work. By contrast, a standard publishing agreement–traditional OR self-pub–is not a work for hire arrangement. I see a surprising number of contracts in which the
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Do You Own Your Copyrighted Works?
Many authors will view the title of this post with a skeptical eye. How could I not own my copyrighted works? I wrote them, I own them. Question answered. Or is it? Copyright law recognizes several types of copyrighted works which are not owned by the creator, or which are owned by the creator in partnership with another person or entity. Let’s take a closer look at the legalities of copyright ownership: 1. The general rule: creative works are owned by their creator. As a general rule, ownership of copyrighted works, along with all the related rights, belongs to the author or
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