Example From Graphic Design
For instance, if I create a printed brochure for a client on my computer with my software as an independent contractor, he's entitled to the printed brochure itself, and probably the final file sent to the printer (usually a locked-down, non-editable PDF file) to produce the brochure, but he is not automatically entitled to the original digital working files (the InDesign publication files, the layered Photoshop files... the files where editing is performed.) without paying extra for them (a "buyout") unless he has a signed contract specifying otherwise. (A standard buyout figure is a 20% surcharge on the original job price.)
But if you are an employee who produces the work on the employer's computer with the employer's software in the employer's place of business, not only does the employer own all of the work and files, you might actually need his permission to, for example, show the work on your website as part of your portfolio... again, unless you have a signed agreement to the contrary, up front.
Read more about this topic: Work Product
Famous quotes containing the words graphic and/or design:
“Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue of graphic composition, but it has its curious rewards. There is a sense of getting somewhere fast, which satisfies a native American urge.”
—James Thurber (1894–1961)
“The reason American cars don’t sell anymore is that they have forgotten how to design the American Dream. What does it matter if you buy a car today or six months from now, because cars are not beautiful. That’s why the American auto industry is in trouble: no design, no desire.”
—Karl Lagerfeld (b. 1938)