Yes. You own the rights. You are allowed to license your work to another party.
Assignment, exclusive licenses, and non-exclusive licenses.
Assignment is transferring ownership of the copyright to another party. Once done, the original author has assigned all rights to the new owner.
Licensing is giving permission to use the copyrighted material to another party, while still retaining ownership. Licensing is often granted for a period of time, but there are perpetual licenses as well.
An exclusive license means the party licensing is the only other party allowed to copy and distribute the material. This grants them legal power to pursue infringement claims as well.
A non-exclusive license allows the party to copy and distribute the material, but not pursue infringement claims.
Both assignment and exclusive licenses need to be made in writing and signed by the owner of the rights. A non-exclusive transfer doesn’t require a written agreement. The transfers can be recorded with the Copyright Office. Though it isn’t necessary to record it with the Copyright Office, there are certain legal advantages to doing so.
The concept of moral rights was introduced into copyright law through the 1988 passage of the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act. Moral rights can’t be assigned or transferred in the copyright, and will remain with the original creator. Several moral rights have been defined- the right of paternity, the right to object to derogatory treatment, the right against false attribution, and the right to privacy in private photographs and films.
No. There are one-time renewal fees for copyrights filed before 1978, but not for newer copyrights.
This is a special type of registration that allows for corrections or amplifications in a registered copyright.
A correction may be considered appropriate if the original registration was incorrect at the time it was made. For example, identifying the author incorrectly, or registering the work as published when publication had not yet taken place. It can also be used to correct typos, the omission of an address if it appears elsewhere on the certificate, or additions of articles- “a”, “an”, or “the”.
There are three categories of “Amplifications”.
The first is when additional information which could have been included in the original was omitted. For example, a coauthor was not included.)
The second is a change in facts occurring since the original registration, such as the title of the work being changed.
The third is explanations that clarify information given in the original registration.
There is a list of both appropriate and inappropriate registration situations cited in the Circular linked below.
Only authors, owners, or agents of them may file a supplementary registration. This is done by completing an application and paying a fee.
More information can be found in the Copyright Office’s Circular 8 on Supplementary Registration.