Editing Freelancer (section)

=== United States ===
In the United States, where the federal constitution automatically grants ownership of the copyright only to the author, the contract agreement must explicitly use the language, that the product is "work for hire", and that the copyright is transferred to the client. Otherwise, only the freelancer will own the right to reproduce the work. Registration of copyright is not required for ownership of these rights; however, litigation against infringement may require registration, as documented in the class action lawsuit, ''[[Reed Elsevier, Inc. v. Muchnick]]''. In that case, freelance writers sued publishers for copyright violations, though the case was eventually settled for the benefit of freelance writers whether or not they had registered their copyright with the [[United States Copyright Office|Copyright Office]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Peiser |first1=Jaclyn |date=30 April 2018 |title=It Took 17 Years: Freelancers Receive $9 Million in Copyright Suit |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/30/business/media/freelancers-digital-copyright-lawsuit.html |url-status=live |access-date=6 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107104058/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/30/business/media/freelancers-digital-copyright-lawsuit.html |archive-date=7 November 2018}}</ref> Copyright is rescinded only when a freelancer signs a contract specifying that they are "[[Work for hire|working for hire]]," or if they are hired into employment. These rights are further specified in U.S. copyright law, Section 101 in the Copyright Act of 1976 (17 USC §101).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Copyrights and Works Made for Hire |url=https://www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers/publications/tyl/topics/intellectual-property/copyrights_and_works_made_hire/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107054744/https://www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers/publications/tyl/topics/intellectual-property/copyrights_and_works_made_hire/ |archive-date=7 November 2018 |access-date=6 November 2018 |website=www.americanbar.org |language=en}}</ref>