The U.S. Copyright Office says a work is “made for hire” in two situations: when an employee creates it as part of their regular job, or when certain types of commissioned work, including part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, are covered by a written agreement signed by both sides that calls it a work made for hire. In those cases, the hiring party owns the copyright. Otherwise, the creator generally holds it. If you want to own your event footage, put it in a written contract with your videographer. For more, see our guide to Corporate Event Videography.
