The True Essence of Copyright

It may come as a surprise to people that you already have a copyright in artistic work you have created. You may have been told that you need to “copyright” your work, but technically you already have the copyright. What most people are referring to when they talk about “copyrighting” their work is the act of registering your copyright with the United States Copyright Office. Long before...
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Who Owns the Copyright to Your Artistic Work? You or Your Employer?

It may come as a shock to some people that an individual could create fabulous artistic work and have absolutely no rights to the work. How is this possible you ask? Well, federal copyright law states that if you have created artistic work under a “work for hire” arrangement, you are not the owner. The person who commissioned you to create that work, actually owns the work. Unlike a person...
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