The practice

Member lesson

Contracts and ownership of work

Lesson 8 of 11 in The practice.

Who ACTUALLY Owns the Copyright? · Studio Builder
Lesson

Ownership of design work depends on jurisdiction and on what was written down, and the default is frequently not what either party assumed. In many places a commissioned work stays with the creator unless assigned in writing, while an employee's work belongs to the employer.

discoveryaskbriefagreeconceptswidenrefinenarrowhandoverlet gothe widest point is the cheapest place to be wrong
The arc of a project, with the widest point in the middle and one narrowing at each end.
An ink drawing of lawyers around a boardroom table where one holds up a page with an empty signature line towards a startled founder, with a framed leaf logo leaning against the wall.
During the sale of a business, a lawyer finds the paper that should have handed over the logo was never signed. The client paid for it but never owned it.
Member

The rest of this is for members.

You have read the opening of this lesson. The rest of it comes with a membership.

One membership covers all four courses and Brands.

  • All lessons in the four Learn courses
  • All brand breakdowns in the Brands section
  • All quizzes, flashcards and crosswords
  • An AI teacher on every lesson, for up to 60 questions a day
  • All course material published during the membership

Price

Membership is from $12 a month on the Yearly plan, which is charged at $144 once a year. Lifetime access is $59, paid once.Membership is from ₹200 a month on the Yearly plan, which is charged at ₹2,400 + GST once a year. Lifetime access is ₹3,999 + GST, paid once.

Check what stuck

Members only

You can't take this check yet.

Members answer these 3 questions and keep the ticket for this lesson. Every lesson has one.

  1. Question 1, locked

    A contract assigns the work to the client on final payment. Why can the fonts not go with it?

    • Fonts are licensed to the studio rather than sold to it, so there is no licence to pass on
    • Font licences travel with the artwork automatically, so nothing needs saying
    • Typefaces cannot be owned by anybody, so the question never arises
    • The foundry only has to be paid again if the client alters the letterforms
  2. Question 2, locked

    Which of these words means this? “Transferring ownership of the work. Usually what a client assumes they are buying.”

    • Result
    • Utilisation
    • Pipeline
    • Assignment
  3. Question 3, locked

    Which of these words means this? “Permission to use the work within stated limits. What they frequently get instead.”

    • Diagnosis and prescription
    • Licence
    • Scope creep
    • The real objection

Elsewhere in the library

Hear about new courses.

Leave an email and we will tell you when something new lands. We do not write often.