Glossary · Intellectual Property
Work Made for Hire
work-made-for-hire-7877530e154f691c-2026-07-28
- Type
- Glossary
- Jurisdiction
- National
- Date
- 2026-07-28
- Topic
- Intellectual Property
A copyright doctrine under which the employer or commissioning party, not the human creator, is treated as the author and owner from the moment of creation. It covers works created by employees within the scope of their jobs, and certain specially commissioned works if the parties agree in a signed writing. Independent-contractor work usually does not qualify automatically, which is why contracts pair work-for-hire language with a backup assignment.
Definition
A copyright doctrine under which the employer or commissioning party, not the human creator, is treated as the author and owner from the moment of creation. It covers works created by employees within the scope of their jobs, and certain specially commissioned works if the parties agree in a signed writing. Independent-contractor work usually does not qualify automatically, which is why contracts pair work-for-hire language with a backup assignment.
Work Made for Hire. A copyright doctrine under which the employer or commissioning party, not the human creator, is treated as the author and owner from the moment of creation. It covers works created by employees within the scope of their jobs, and certain specially commissioned works if the parties agree in a signed writing. Independent-contractor work usually does not qualify automatically, which is why contracts pair work-for-hire language with a backup assignment. Example: The training videos were works made for hire, so the studio owned them without any separate assignment from its staff editors.