Copyrighted Work by Employees

In regards to copyright, the creator of the protected work (i.e.: literature, fine art, music, computer program) is also deemed to be copyright owner when the person is an employee. Waiving copyright ownership does not have legal effect according to Austrian Copyright Law (Art. 19 CA). Employees can, however, transfer exclusive and unrestricted work-usage rights of their copyrighted work to their employer. A contractual agreement, typically an informal one, between the employer and the employee is required. For example, an agreement in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for Filmmakers allows copyrighted publishing/distribution rights to be transferred to the employer (production company) with some restrictions.

Top