Intellectual Property Release Form

An Intellectual Property Release Agreement (sometimes just called a "Release") is a document by which someone releases something they created - like a work of art, writing, or a film - and gives away all the rights to someone else. This type of agreement is used in situations where the artist gives consent to the art being used for another purpose and does not keep any rights to it.

The creations are called works of intellectual property, and by releasing the rights, the creator gives up any control over what happens to the intellectual property.

The person who receives the rights to the work can do anything they want with it - including copying, distributing, publishing, or whatever else they would like. In Intellectual Property Release Agreements, royalties and other monetary compensation may not pay because the entirety of the work is being released.

This document is different than a Licence Agreement. In that case, the artist or owner of the work maintains all of their rights but allows another to use their work for the payment of royalties and subject to certain terms.

HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT

This document can be used when an artist would like to release the rights to something they've created. Conversely, a business person or individual can also use this document to acquire the rights to something someone else has created. In this document, all of the details of the work of intellectual property that is being released are included.

The artist (current owner) won't retain any rights to the work and may not get paid any royalties. A release should be used specifically in the instance where the artist is giving away all of their rights so that another person can start to use the work.

When this document is filled out, it may be printed and signed and a copy kept with each relevant party.

APPLICABLE LAW

Intellectual property in Canada is governed by federal law, with the main statutes being the Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42), the Trademarks Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. T-13), and the Patent Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. P-4). It is best practice to include as much detail about the work as possible, in the Intellectual Property Release Agreement, so that if a dispute should arise, the rights to the specific work are clear.

HOW TO MODIFY THE TEMPLATE

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.