Opinion ID: 47627
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Sole ownership of the copyrights lies in Pritchett

Text: 9 We agree with the district judge that Pritchett was the sole owner of the books. The employment agreement governing Pound's employment with Pritchett specifically provided that all written materials created by Pound in his employment were to be exclusive property of the employer. The books were therefore made for hire because Pritchett and Pound did not expressly agree otherwise by written instrument signed by them. See 17 U.S.C. § 201(b). While the registration form, if standing alone, would be evidence of joint ownership, it is not a written agreement changing the employment relationship that the statute requires. 10 Other courts have also required a more clear agreement of parties to change the ownership of copyright. See, e.g., Frost Belt Int'l Recording Enter., Inc. v. Cold Chillin' Records, 758 F.Supp. 131, 137 n. 12 (S.D.N.Y.1990) (rejecting the contention that the Registration Certificate itself establishes that [the work] was not a work made for hire on account of plaintiff's checking-off a box [on] the Registration Certificate indicating that the work was not made for hire, the court was hardly persuaded that [the certificate preparer] intended with two small strokes of his pen to relinquish plaintiff's copyright to the work while completing a form which was to have precisely the opposite effect); BancTraining Video Sys. v. First Am. Corp., No. 91-5340, 1992 WL 42345, at  n. 3 (6th Cir. Mar.3, 1992) (unpublished) (stating agreement with the holding in Frost Belt that checking no on the registration certificate indicating that work was not made for hire did not dictate that the work was not made for hire); Craft v. Kobler, 667 F.Supp. 120, 125 (S.D.N.Y.1987) (rejecting claim that work made for hire finding was precluded by failure to claim work made for hire on registration certificate). 11 The ownership of the copyrights by Pritchett defeats Pound's claim for royalties and moots the limitations bar to Pound's claim. We therefore need not address the effect, if any, of the release.