The author of a work is usually required to assign all or part of their rights to the work to intermediaries with the necessary resources to ensure the best possible distribution and to collect royalties. The copyright assignment agreement is the ideal legal instrument for this purpose.

It is, however, important to note the difference between a licensing agreement and copyright assignment agreement. A licensing agreement is an agreement by which an author grants permission to use a work in consideration for a royalty payment (e.g. granting permission to produce a play).

0.00 INTERPRETATION
0.01 Definitions
0.01.01 Activities
0.01.02 Agreement
0.01.03 Breach
0.01.04 Claim
0.01.05 Confidential Information
0.01.06 Copyright
0.01.07 Dispute
0.01.08 Encumber / Encumbrance
0.01.09 Force Majeure
0.01.10 Intellectual Property
0.01.11 Law
0.01.12 Legal Representatives
0.01.13 Loss
0.01.14 Ordinary Course of Business
0.01.15 PARTY
0.01.16 Person
0.01.17 Plates
0.01.18 Prime Rate
0.01.19 Revenue
0.01.20 Work
0.02 Entire Agreement
0.03 Applicable Law
0.04 Non-Compliance
0.04.01 Severability
0.04.02 Substitute Provision
0.05 Miscellaneous
0.05.01 Cumulative Rights
0.05.02 No Waiver
0.05.03 Time and Days
a) Time of the Essence
b) Computation of Time
c) Delays
0.05.04 Financial References
0.05.05 Cross-References
0.05.06 Gender and Number
0.05.07 Headings
0.05.08 Knowledge
0.05.09 Approval
0.05.10 Accounting Standards
1.00 PURPOSE
1.01 Assignment of Copyright
1.02 Conditions
1.02.01 Required by ASSIGNOR
1.02.02 Required by ASSIGNEE
1.02.03 Choice
1.03 Waiver of Moral Rights
2.00 CONSIDERATION
2.01 Base Amount
2.02 Royalties
3.00 TERMS OF PAYMENT
3.01 Base Amount
3.02 Royalties
3.02.01 Payment
3.02.02 Contesting Calculation
3.03 Interest
3.04 Waiver of Compensation
3.05 Loss of Term
3.06 Challenging Copyright
3.06.01 Deposit in Trust
3.06.02 Remittance to ASSIGNEE
3.06.03 Infringement
4.00 SECURITY
5.00 MUTUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
5.01 Status
5.02 Authority
5.03 Binding Agreement
5.04 Canadian Resident
5.05 Canadian Status
5.06 Commission
5.07 Insurance
5.08 Nominee
5.09 Independent Legal Advice
5.10 Fundamental Provisions
5.11 Disclosure
5.12 Legal Proceedings
5.13 Solvency
6.00 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ASSIGNOR
6.01 Sole Creator
6.02 Originality
6.03 Unpublished Work (if applicable)
6.04 Sole Owner
6.05 Compliance
6.06 Encumbrance
7.00 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ASSIGNEE
8.00 MUTUAL DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS
8.01 Confidential Information
8.01.01 Undertaking
8.01.02 Duration of Undertaking
8.01.03 End of Agreement
a) Request for Return
b) Destruction
8.01.04 Penalty
8.02 Continuation of Representations and Warranties
8.03 Indemnification
8.03.01 Scope
8.03.02 Procedure
8.03.03 Third-Party Claim
8.03.04 Duration of Representations and Warranties
8.03.05 Deductible
8.03.06 Limitation
8.04 Disclosure of Agreement
8.04.01 Undertaking
8.04.02 Public Announcement
8.04.03 Exception
8.04.04 Default
8.05 Further Assurances
8.06 Registration
9.00 DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF ASSIGNOR
9.01 Delivery
9.02 Technical Support
9.03 No Use
9.04 Quiet Enjoyment
9.05 Costs if Contested
9.06 Right of First Refusal
9.06.01 Duration of Right
9.06.02 Procedure of ASSIGNOR
9.06.03 Procedure of ASSIGNEE
10.00 DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF ASSIGNEE
10.01 Periodic Reports
10.02 Inspection
10.02.01 Accounting Records
10.02.02 Costs
10.03 Moral Rights
10.04 Publicity
10.05 Assignment of Copyright
10.06 No Contest
10.07 Modification to the Work
11.00 SPECIAL PROVISIONS
11.01 Assignment
11.01.01 Prohibition
11.01.02 Reasonable Cause
11.01.03 Effect of Breach
11.01.04 Exception
11.02 Force Majeure
11.02.01 Limitation on Liability
11.02.02 Duty
11.02.03 Right of Other PARTY
11.03 Relationship
11.04 Remedies
11.04.01 Choice
11.04.02 No Limitations
12.00 GENERAL PROVISIONS
12.01 Notice
12.02 Dispute Resolution
12.02.01 Good Faith Negotiations
a) Written Notice
b) Meeting
c) Legal Proceedings
d) Protective Measures
12.02.02 Mediation
a) Process
b) Settlement
c) Arbitration [OR Legal Proceeding]
12.02.03 Arbitration Procedure (if V1 of 12.02.02 c) applies)
a) Notice
b) Reply
c) Appointment of a Third Arbitrator
d) Subcontracts
e) Confidentiality
f) Hearing
g) Ruling
h) Costs
i) Supplementary Rules
12.03 Choice of Forum
12.04 Counterparts
12.05 Amendment
12.06 No Waiver of Rights
12.07 Electronic Transmission
12.08 Language
13.00 TERMINATION
13.01 Expiry of Term
13.02 Automatic Termination or by Mutual Consent
13.03 With Prior Notice
13.04 Procedure
13.05 Other Remedies
14.00 EFFECTIVE DATE
15.00 DURATION
16.00 SCOPE

SCHEDULE A – EXCERPT FROM A RESOLUTION OF ASSIGNEE
SCHEDULE B – REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE
SCHEDULE 0.01.20 – WORK