Copyright Assignment

Summary

This template copyright assignment may be used where an individual author, organization, or corporate entity is assigning their/its rights in and to a work of authorship to another person, organization, or corporate entity. Registered and unregistered U.S. copyrights may both be assigned using this template. The template includes practical guidance, drafting notes, and alternate and optional clauses. This template can be useful in various scenarios. For instance, an individual author who creates a copyrighted work (such as a motion picture or a literary, artistic, musical, dramatic, or pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work) might wish to assign the work to a new entity or organization that the author has formed. Or a copyrighted work might be purchased in connection with an asset purchase or other business deal and, consequently, would need to be assigned to the buyer. For a collection of content related to motion picture production, see Motion Picture Production Resource Kit. For guidance on assigning copyrights, see Assignments of Copyrights; see also Nimmer on Copyright § 10.03 (Transfer Formalities), Nimmer on Copyright § 10.07 (Recordation of Transfers), and Nimmer on Copyright § 10.10 (Construing the Scope of Assignments and Other Transfers). For a related checklist, see Copyright Assignment Checklist. For guidance on managing an intellectual property (IP) portfolio, see In-House Intellectual Property & Technology Resource Kit. For an overview of copyright enforcement, see Copyright Enforcement Resource Kit. For an overview of key topics in the Intellectual Property & Technology practice area, see Intellectual Property & Technology Fundamentals Resource Kit.