Ownership of designs

[shopgirl]

I hope to have someone do up some designs for me which I will be using for commercial purposes. Do I need to have anything legal in place to ensure that I retain ownership of the designs? Do the designs automatically become my property when the commissions are complete? Thanks.

 

[jhegarty]

You should make sure that the contract specifies that all copyright transfers to you.

 

[thunder99]

You'll need to specify it in the contract. Just add a line to the contract that says the designer is selling you the rights to the designs to be used in whatever manner you wish.

 

[shopgirl]

Thanks guys, that means I have to have an official contract! Next question, is there a standard contract to cover this or do I need to ask a solicitor to draw one up?