Page "Work for hire" Paragraph 12

An author has the inalienable right to terminate a copyright transfer 35 years after agreeing to permanently relinquish the copyright.

However, according to the US Copyright Office, Circular 9 " the termination provisions of the law do not apply to works made for hire.

" These restrictions, in both the work for hire doctrine and the right of termination, exist out of recognition that artists frequently face unequal bargaining power in their business dealings.

Nonetheless, failure to secure a work-for-hire agreement by commissioning organizations can create difficult situations.

One such example is the artist Raymond Kaskey's 1985 statue Portlandia, an iconic symbol of the city of Portland, Oregon.

Unlike most works of public art, Kaskey has put strong prohibitions on the use of images of the statue, located atop the main entrance to the famous Portland Building.

He sued Paramount Pictures for including shots of the statue in the Madonna motion picture Body of Evidence.

As a result, it is nearly impossible to film portions of one of downtown Portland's most vibrant neighborhoods, and the city has lost out on the potential to create merchandise and souvenirs from one of its most iconic landmarks.