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Can copyright be transferred?

Yes. Copyright in a work can be assigned by its owner to another person, organization or company, provided that the assignment is in writing. The copyright can be assigned in whole or in part, and can be for the full term of copyright, or any part of it. It can be assigned generally or subject to limitations such as those relating to territory, medium or sector of the market. Once the assignment is made, the original owner has only those rights that the parties have agreed to in the assignment.

Authors who submit manuscripts for publication are usually asked to assign their full copyright to the publisher, in exchange for a royalty payment. Royalty payments are usually based on a percentage of the selling price of each copy of the published work.

An assignment of copyright does not assign an author's moral rights in the work.

 


WARNING: The contents of these FAQs are intended as general legal information only.
If you have a personal problem, please consult a lawyer.

December 1998
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