volunteer copyright assignment / licensing agreement

[Jimmy Kaplowitz]

On Tue, Feb 19, 2013 at 02:11:57PM +0000, Ian Jackson wrote:
> Jimmy Kaplowitz writes ("Re: volunteer copyright assignment / licensing agreement"):
> > You probably shouldn't list SPI as copyright holder when nobody's assigned
> > copyright to SPI.
> 
> I think if the original author or copyright holder writes a copyright
> notice saying that SPI is the copyright holder, then that is a legally
> effective copyright assignment.  At least in the UK[1].

In the US, "A transfer of copyright ownership, other than by operation of law,
is not valid unless an instrument of conveyance, or a note or memorandum of the
transfer, is in writing and signed by the owner of the rights conveyed or such
owner's duly authorized agent." http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap2.html

- Jimmy Kaplowitz
jimmy at spi-inc.org