Copyright for Co-authors

How to register copyright for co-authored works

Many books, songs, plays and musical compositions are created in a collaborative environment.

When undertaking a co-created work, it is recommended that the authors discuss, and in certain cases sign an agreement, relating to issues such as division of labour, financial compensation and certain possible eventualities such as one of the team cannot complete their part of the project.

Co-authored works have multiple copyright owners and this must be reflected in your copyright registration.

At Copyright House, registering copyright of co-authored works is very simple:

1. Download a joint copyright ownership form
2. Fill out the form and co-sign
3. Scan and upload the form to your account
4. Mention the co-authors details in the box entitled 'more information'
5. Upload the related work to your account

We recommend downloading a copyright registration certificate for all parties involved in the joint copyright ownership. This service is free-of-charge.

Joint ownership of copyright can – like any copyright ownership – be sold, transferred, inherited etc. Once again, all collaborators in a joint ownership of copyright must agree to the transaction. Please read our article on Joint Ownership of Copyright for more information.

The information on this page is not a complete guide but should be regarded as a basic overview to enhance your understanding of copyright. This is not legal advice and should not be considered as such. Some information may not be applicable in certain situations.