Re: copyright in legal documents

From: Bob Stock <bstock[_at_]mindspring.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 18:31:18 -0700

On 10/25/99, Mike Phillips <radiolawyer[_at_]hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> A new client asked me a question this morning that has been asked
> many times, but I've never had to answer it before. (It's an academic
> question.)
>
> When a client pays an attorney to draft a contract, who owns the
> copyright to the contract?

Did the client draft the contract? I don't think so. So, the attorney is the author, and copyright vests initially in the author. See 17 U.S.C. sec. 201(a). (I don't think anyone would seriously contend that the contract is a work made for hire.)

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Bob Stock <bstock[_at_]mindspring.com>
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/1206/

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Received on Tue Oct 26 1999 - 01:33:26 GMT