Check a copyright assignment against the writing requirement
Key facts
- Human involvement
- RedLawyer-led
- How AI is used
- From the term sheet and any draft, list the works, the rights named, the person named as owner, and whether the file contains a writing signed by that person or that person's agent. Write no sentence of the assignment.
- What the lawyer must review
- 17 U.S.C. § 204(a) provides that a transfer of copyright ownership, other than by operation of law, is not valid unless an instrument of conveyance, or a note or memorandum of the transfer, is in writing and signed by the owner of the rights conveyed or that owner's duly authorized agent. Section 201(d)(2) allows any of the exclusive rights in § 106, including a subdivision of them, to be transferred and owned separately. You write the assignment. A term sheet is that writing only if you decide it meets § 204(a).
- Written for / version
- United States versionUS
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Supporting preparation only. Limit any support to organising, indexing or comparing the source material. Confirm the tool’s capability and permitted scope. The tool writes nothing into the document. Substantive advice, judgement and any restricted content remain with the responsible human. |
| Lawyer | Perform the substantive analysis and decisions. Independently check any permitted supporting work and approve the exact output for its intended use. |
Checklist
- Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
- Resolve exceptions and record the responsible lawyer’s approval of the exact output and intended use.
Forms and precedents for this task
| Form or precedent | Kind | AI use | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short-form copyright assignment | Agreement | AI use Yellow | A writing that transfers copyright ownership in a named work, for 17 U.S.C. § 204(a). |
Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one. All precedents.