students' copyright

As part of an elementary school curriculum in the United States, two teachers help a group of students write a musical play that teaches the audience geography lessons. The play is such a success that the teachers want to register the copyright to the play and then publish an academic article that discusses how the play was created. The article would contain a detailed explanation and script of the play.

The teachers have asked how to register the copyright and what steps need to be taken to publish the article. I have told them that the students and they jointly own the copyright to the original portions of the play. Therefore, registration should be made listing the teachers and students as the authors. Because the teachers are joint copyright owners with the students, they can publish the article without special permission from the students (although they might need special permission to use a student's name, but that's not a copyright issue). From a purely copyright point of view, have I missed any issues or does this seem like the correct approach?

R. JOEL ANKNEY
Mays & Valentine, LLP
4425 Corporation Lane, Ste. 420
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
757.518.3206 (direct dial)
757.518.3210 (fax)
e-mail: jankney[_at_]maysval.com

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