Copyright & Ownership
Who owns a piece, who may use it, and why a payment, a licence and an assignment are three different legal events.
Contributor work and commissioned work
Public submissions and paid commissions do not use the same rights model.
1. The central distinction
A contributor who publishes in the community archive keeps copyright and grants a limited publication licence. A client who pays for commissioned writing receives the usage rights stated in the accepted quotation or rights schedule.
Payment for writing does not automatically transfer every copyright. Ownership of a printed book, PDF or delivered file is also different from ownership of the intellectual-property rights in the writing.
Contributors keep copyright
The platform receives only the permission needed to host and promote the public archive.
2. Member submissions
The contributor remains the copyright owner to the extent the work is original and lawfully owned by that contributor. RDC Unsaid receives the non-exclusive publication licence described in the Submission Terms.
RDC Unsaid does not acquire the right to sell, print commercially, adapt, translate, merchandise, sublicense or train AI systems on contributor work without separate written permission.
A contributor may publish elsewhere and may ask for removal from RDC Unsaid.
A licence is the default
Most personal projects need permission to use the work, not a complete transfer of the author's rights.
3. Default position for commissioned writing
Unless the accepted project documents expressly say otherwise, RDC Unsaid retains copyright in the commissioned literary work and grants the client a personal-use licence after full payment.
The standard personal-use licence ordinarily permits the client to:
- Keep and privately share the work with intended recipients, family and friends;
- Print reasonable copies for personal, non-commercial use;
- Perform or read the work at a personal event;
- Post the final work on the client's personal social accounts with the agreed credit, where the quotation permits public personal use.
It does not permit advertising, resale, publishing for profit, paid distribution, merchandise, adaptation into film or music, brand use, sublicensing or removal of agreed credit.
Use must be named before it can be priced
A brand campaign, film, book, product or paid publication needs a specific licence.
4. Commercial and public licences
A commercial licence states the permitted media, purpose, territory, duration, exclusivity, edit rights, translation rights, credit and fee. Rights not expressly granted remain with RDC Unsaid.
Any use outside the stated scope requires written permission and may require an additional fee. A commercial licence does not automatically transfer copyright.
A transfer must be explicit
Copyright assignment is not hidden inside a vague sentence or assumed from payment.
5. Copyright assignment
A full or partial assignment applies only where a separate written rights schedule identifies the work and specifies the rights assigned, duration, territory and consideration. The assignment becomes effective only after the conditions stated in that schedule, including full payment, are satisfied.
Where a valid assignment is made, RDC Unsaid retains any rights not expressly assigned. Statutory author rights, including rights that cannot lawfully be waived, remain subject to applicable law.
Indian copyright law requires an assignment to be in writing and signed by the assignor, and to identify the work, rights, duration and territory. For that reason, a checkout checkbox alone is not treated as a full copyright assignment.
Credit and rights are separate switches
A client may be the named author while the rights package still needs precise wording.
6. Ghostwriting and anonymous work
A ghostwriting agreement may provide that RDC Unsaid receives no public credit and may not use the work in a portfolio. It must also state whether the client receives a licence or an assignment, whether the client may edit or adapt the work, and how source materials and drafts are treated.
Silence about credit is not the same as transfer of copyright. Silence about copyright is not the same as permission for commercial exploitation.
Permission travels with the source, not with the invoice
A client cannot grant rights that the client does not hold.
7. Photographs, messages, lyrics and other inputs
The client is responsible for obtaining permission to provide and use third-party photographs, recordings, messages, diary entries, trademarks, music, lyrics, documents and confidential information.
RDC Unsaid's copyright in newly written text does not erase the rights of photographers, correspondents, interviewees, publishers, brands or other source owners.
Nothing becomes a case study by accident
Private work stays private unless the client permits a defined form of use.
8. Credit, publication and portfolio use
The accepted project documents should choose one of these positions: RDC Unsaid credited, client credited, anonymous, ghostwritten, or another agreed line.
RDC Unsaid will not publish private commissioned work, client names, source material or identifiable project details in a portfolio without permission. Anonymised reference may be used only where the agreement permits it and the anonymisation is meaningful.
Choose rights before the work is used
Describe the audience, platform, territory, duration and whether the use is personal, public, commercial or exclusive.
Compare rights packages · Email rdc@rdcunsaid.com · Commission terms