Copyright assignment

You often ask sales and marketing companies to design brochures and leaflets for you. To enable you to make changes to the material or utilise it again in the future, it’s essential that you own the copyright. Our model copyright assignment agreement enables you to do this.

What’s the point?

Because if you don’t bother, even though you instructed the design and marketing company to put together a brochure for you and you pay the bill, they’ll own the copyright. They’re regarded as “the author” and consequently they own the copyright.

Tip

When you’re in discussions with anyone whom you’re contemplating asking to design or write material for you, whether it’s a brochure or plans for a new office, always sort out the issue of who owns the copyright in the material. Remember, the copyright will generally belong to the person who’s the author and not to the person who’s either issued the contract or is paying the bill. To ensure you own the copyright, request the author to assign this to you. They will be the “assignor” and you’ll be the “assignee”. It’s all down to a matter of negotiation, but if you can end up owning the copyright, you’ll be the master of your own destiny when it comes to any future use of the material.