This is a standard copyright assignment form. It can be adapted for use in relation different kinds of copyright.
Copyright and its related rights may subsist in a bewildering variety of different kinds of works. For instance, these rights may protect writings, paintings, drawings, designs, plans, graphics, logos, musical compositions, plays, screenplays, software, databases, sculptures, sound recordings, films and broadcasts to name a few.
A crucial feature of copyrights - unlike moral rights - is that they are assignable. In other words, they can be transferred from one person to another.
Assignments of copyright may be subject to legal formalities. Examples of legal formalities include requirements that assignments be in writing and executed by the assignor. In some jurisdictions, an assignment may need to recorded with the copyright registration authorities.
The key provisions of this assignment of copyright form include:
- Definition of "assigned rights": exactly what rights are being assigned, and are any specific rights excluded from the assignment?
- Moral rights: does the assignor waive any moral rights in the works?
- Warranties: does the assignor warrant that it owns all the relevant rights in the works, and does the assignor warrant that no licences have been granted in respect of the works?
In full, the headings of the different sections of this assignment are: (1) Definitions and interpretation, (2) Assignment, (3) Moral rights, (4) Further assurance, (5) Warranties, (6) Indemnity, (7) General.
After purchase, you will receive an email with a link enabling you to download the copyright assignment (5 pages) in MS Word (.doc) format.
The first few sections of this document can be seen free-of-charge here:
precedent copyright assignment
