To protect both clients and professionals, Reedsy provides an automated contract detailing the important terms of every collaboration. We call these “Mandatory Terms” governing any project you enter via Reedsy, including intellectual property rights. 

Per clause 5.4.1.7 of these Mandatory Terms, on receiving the service fee, by default, professionals assign all rights over their work to their clients. This includes moral rights and is an absolute full guarantee of present and future assignments in perpetuity.

Notwithstanding, professionals can maintain ownership of their work and grant clients limited rights to use titles for a certain period. This allows professionals to retain control over merchandise and other commercial uses of their work.

Professionals can upload these additional terms to the collaboration when making an offer. These are called “Special Terms”, and they take precedence over our Mandatory Terms. They allow you, for instance, to change the licensing terms associated with the work delivered (for example, a book cover could solely be used in relationship with the title itself and not other products). 

Special Terms are mostly used by our designers, illustrators, translators and ghostwriters regarding stock imagery, licensing, royalties, distribution rights, or NDAs. But they are available if needed for professionals working in all services.

Before attaching any Special Terms to our Mandatory clauses, please consult a lawyer well-versed in intellectual property rights regulations of your country. Each jurisdiction has specific laws and policies, and an expert opinion will help protect your rights.