I am hiring a writer to write a script or treatment for a motion picture. How do I make sure that I own the copyright?
You must have a Work for Hire Agreement signed by the writer confirming that you own all rights in the script, including all copyrights, to cut off statutory termination rights, or in the alternative you should have a written assignment of copyright in the script from the writer. In the absence of such a written agreement, the script writer could make a claim of copyright ownership in the script. However, if all you need is a grant of exclusive movie rights, you do not need a Work for Hire Agreement. An exclusive licensee is a copyright owner too, as to those rights.
