Work Made For Hire Case Study

Independent Contractor Agreements: Work for Hire or General?

Lakewood Church currently utilizes two different contracts when dealing with independent contractors, a general agreement or a work made for hire agreement. The difference between the legal effects of these agreements is very important.

What is “work made for hire?”
Work made for hire is an exception to the general rule that the author of a work holds the copyright and legal rights to its use in any form. Work made for hire causes the employer (Lakewood) to be considered the author of the work from its initial creation, even though another individual is the actual author.

When should the work made for hire agreement be utilized?
The work made for hire agreement should be used