If you hire another person or business to do work for you, it is important to have an agreement that addresses who owns the rights.  The copyright owner is the one who actually creates the work.  But an agreement can transfer those rights.  A Work for Hire Agreement may be used to ensure that the contractor does not retain any rights over the product or the work created. These agreements are often used when hiring writers and artists for projects.  Work for Hire Agreements must be in writing.  Section 101 of the Copyright Act (title 17 of the U.S. Code) defines a “work made for hire” in two parts: (a) work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment or (b) a work specially ordered or commissioned for use (1) as a contribution to a collective work, (2) as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, (3) as a translation, (4) as a supplementary work, (5) as a compilation, (6) as an instructional text, (7) as a test, (8) as answer material for a test, or (9) as an atlas, if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire.

​

LEGAL FEES START AT $500 TO DRAFT A WORK FOR HIRE AGREEMENT