The copyright in the work of authorship *immediately* becomes the
property of the author who created the work. Only the author or those
deriving their rights through the author can rightfully claim copyright.
In the case of works made for hire, the employer and not the employee is
considered to be the author. Title 17, Chap 1, Sec. 101 of the
copyright law defines a "work made for hire" as:
+ (1) a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her
employment; or
+ (2) a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as:
+ a contribution to a collective work
+ a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work
+ a translation
+ a supplementary work
+ a compilation
+ an instructional text
+ a test
+ answer material for a test
+ a sound recording
+ an atlas
if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them
that the work shall be considered a work made for hire....
The authors of a joint work are co-owners of the copyright in the work,
unless there is an agreement to the contrary.
Copyright in each separate contribution to a periodical or other
collective work is distinct from copyright in the collective work as a
whole and vests initially with the author of the contribution.
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