- ordered or commissioned and because the parties signed a written agreement specifying that the work would be created for Lighthouse Books as a work made for hire. In the application to register this work, Lighthouse Books, Inc. should be named as the author of the translation and the work made for hire box should be checked “yes.”
No written agreement between the parties specifying that the work will be created as a work made for hire
- Judy Smith works for a car dealership. During her lunch break, she created an atlas that depicts the cities and territories in an imaginary country. She hopes to sell her work to a company that publishes fantasy books. Judy’s atlas fails the first part of the statutory definition because she did not create this work for her employer while acting within the scope of her employment. Although an atlas is one of the nine categories of works that may be created as a work made for hire, Judy’s atlas does not satisfy the second part of the statutory definition because she has not signed a written agreement specifying that she would create this atlas for another party as a work made for hire. In the application to register this atlas, Judy should be named as the author and the work made for hire box should be checked “no.”
Work does not fall within the nine categories of works listed in the statutory definition that may be specially ordered or commissioned as a work made for hire
- Monkey Business Inc. hired Heath Liszewski to create the design for a new line of wallpaper. The work does not satisfy the first part of the statutory definition because Heath is an independent contractor and he was paid a flat fee for his work on this assignment. Therefore, he is not an employee of Monkey Business. Although the parties signed a written agreement specifying that Heath would create this work for Monkey Business, it does not satisfy the second part of the definition because two-dimensional artwork is not one of the nine categories of works that may be specially ordered or commissioned as a work made for hire. In the application to register this work, Heath should be named as the author and the work made for hire box should be checked “no.”
506.4 Determining whether the Work is a Work Made for Hire
506.4(A) Applicant Makes the Determination
The applicant—not the U.S. Copyright Office—must determine whether the work is a work is made for hire, and this determination should be based on the facts that exist at the time when the work was created.
When examining a work made for hire the Office applies U.S. copyright law, even if the work was created in a foreign country, created by a citizen, domiciliary, or habitual resident of a foreign country, or first published in a foreign country. The U.S. Copyright Act is the exclusive source of copyright protection in the United States, and all applicants—both foreign and domestic—must demonstrate that a work satisfies the requirements of U.S. copyright law in order to register a work with the Office.
