Copyright Act, ownership of works made for hire (17 U.S.C. 201(b))
For a work made for hire the employer is the author and owns the copyright, unless a signed writing says otherwise. This is why employees' code is the company's to license, and why a holder checks that no employment agreement says otherwise.
Dated 17 Oct 2026Source checked 17 Oct 2026Basis: primary text
In the source's own words
“In the case of a work made for hire, the employer or other person for whom the work was prepared is considered the author for purposes of this title, and, unless the parties have expressly agreed otherwise in a written instrument signed by them, owns all of the rights comprised in the copyright.”
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