What is a “work for hire” agreement?

Cosynd
Cosynd
Sep 4, 2018 · 2 min read

If someone is helping you to create your content, you might need a work for hire agreement.

A work for hire agreement is an agreement between you and an independent contractor that is providing services for you in connection with the creation of your content (usually they are paid, but sometimes they are contributing for free). It clearly establishes your ownership of the content created. A work for hire agreement also outlines the scope and terms of the work and services to be done, including responsibilities, payment terms, credit, dispute resolution and more.

You can create unlimited work for hire agreements on Cosynd for $15/month or $150/year and you can see how easy it is to create one here.

Why is it important to protect your content?
You may be asked to present ownership information for your copyrights to companies such as distributors, publishers, licensees, content platforms, royalty collection agencies etc. before you can monetize it. Without an agreement in place stating otherwise, your collaborators could have an ownership claim that is equal to yours and could sell/license your content without your permission.

In detail, a work for hire agreement will cover:

  • Your ownership of the content and releases your collaborators from any claim.
  • The type of work your collaborators will be doing and how/when they will be paid for it.
  • How your collaborators will be given credit for their contribution.
  • The paths you and your collaborators can take to try to resolve any problems between you.
  • How long a collaborator has to fix a problem and the actions/recourse that can be taken if the problem is not resolved.
  • The legal signatures of you and your collaborators.

How can Cosynd help me protect my work?

Sorting these issues out now before there are any problems can save you the time and frustration of having to deal with it later when others may be less cooperative. You can get started with protecting your works by creating a work for hire agreement here. With Cosynd, you can:

  • let your collaborators collectively weigh in on the agreement terms without tons of calls, emails, and document versions to manage.
  • invite your attorney to review agreements if needed.
  • store your collaborators’ information so that you don’t have to re-enter their information every time you work together.
  • register your works — Cosynd makes it easy to translate your agreement details to your copyright registration application.

cosynd

Simple. Affordable. Collaborative. Automate Legal Documents & Copyright Ownership. www.cosynd.com

Cosynd

Written by

Cosynd

Simple. Affordable. Collaborative. Automate Legal Documents & Copyright Ownership. www.cosynd.com

cosynd

cosynd

Simple. Affordable. Collaborative. Automate Legal Documents & Copyright Ownership. www.cosynd.com

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