---
title: "Check a copyright assignment against the writing requirement"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/intellectual-property-patents-trade-marks-copyright-designs/draft-a-short-form-copyright-assignment-and-check-the-copyright-act-1968/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A23-B15-3-US"
practice_area: "Intellectual Property — Patents, Trade Marks, Copyright, Designs"
tier: "red"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Check a copyright assignment against the writing requirement

> 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.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/intellectual-property-patents-trade-marks-copyright-designs/draft-a-short-form-copyright-assignment-and-check-the-copyright-act-1968/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Intellectual Property — Patents, Trade Marks, Copyright, Designs](https://ailawframework.com/practice/intellectual-property-patents-trade-marks-copyright-designs.md) |
| Human involvement | Red: Lawyer writes; AI may check, clarify or collect data |
| 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 | United States |
| Applies to | [Draft a short-form copyright assignment and check the Copyright Act 1968 compilation for the writing requirement](https://ailawframework.com/practice/intellectual-property-patents-trade-marks-copyright-designs/draft-a-short-form-copyright-assignment-and-check-the-copyright-act-1968.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: 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.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Open § 101 for the definition of transfer of copyright ownership before you treat a nonexclusive permission as a § 204(a) transfer.
- Recordation of the assignment is a separate step from validity under § 204(a).

## Sources

- [17 U.S.C. § 204 (execution of transfers of copyright ownership)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/204) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [17 U.S.C. § 201 (ownership of copyright)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/201) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Short-form copyright assignment](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/intellectual-property-patents-trade-marks-copyright-designs/us-copyright-assignment.md) | Agreement | Yellow | A writing that transfers copyright ownership in a named work, for 17 U.S.C. § 204(a). The owner of the rights, or the owner's authorised agent, signs.… |
| [Copyright chain of title record](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/intellectual-property-patents-trade-marks-copyright-designs/copyright-chain-of-title.md) | Form | Yellow | Record of who started as owner under section 35 and of each later assignment. An assignment has effect only if it is in writing signed by or on behalf of the assignor. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*