In the U.S., copyright is automatically granted to the creator of the work, unless the work is a "work made for hire", in which case the copyright goes to the e

In the U.S., copyright is automatically granted to the creator of the work, unless the work is a "work made for hire", in which case the copyright goes to the employer. When someone's artist asserts ownership over something they were paid to create, they're essentially challenging its status as a "work made for hire". The Copyright Office has a circular that they distribute to clarify and help people decide, in general, whether certain types of work qualify as "works for hire" or not. [0] [0] [PDF] https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ09.pdf https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ09.pdf