Q: I am an artist that WAS under contract with a publisher. They copyrighted my art in their name. Is that legal?
They have done this with several artists and say that they MAY change the names on the copyright as a "courtesy" to me. They are crooks and I am afraid they are taking advantage of several people.
A:
What does your contract say?
If your contract assigned the copyright interest in your work to your publisher, then your publisher is absolutely permitted to register works created by you. If your contract isn't explicit about assigning ownership of copyright (but it should be), then ownership rights may depend on the nature of your employment relationship with the publisher.
If you're unclear after reading the terms of your contract, reach out to an attorney with experience handling copyright matters.
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