copyright; intellectual property

Definition

A work, such as an issue of a magazine, an anthology or an encyclopedia, in which a number of contributions, constituting separate and independent works in themselves, are assembled into a collective whole. See 17 U.S.C. §101. This is relevant in the copyright law context. A copyright to a contribution to a collective work is not the same as the copyright to the collective work.

In copyright law, an author is a person who creates an original expressive work. The author is also the owner of the copyright unless the author assigns ownership to another in a written agreement. Examples of authors include artists, writers, programmers, choreographers, and translators.

If the work was made for hire, the employer or commissioning party is considered the author of the work.