When an owner grants permission under a license to a third party, who retains the copyright ownership?

When an owner grants permission under a license to a third party, who retains the copyright ownership?

• A. The licensee
• B. The owner
• C. Both
• D. The public domain

Answer: (B)

In licensing, permission to use a work is granted without selling the rights themselves. The person who created or owns the copyright keeps that ownership; the license simply gives another party a defined set of rights to use the work (such as reproducing, distributing, or performing it) for a specified time, under certain limitations and in a defined territory. Even if the license is exclusive, the owner still retains the copyright and controls the underlying rights; the licensee gains only the rights described in the license, not ownership. The ownership would only transfer if there were an actual assignment or sale of the copyright itself. If a work were in the public domain, there would be no copyright to license in the first place.

In licensing, permission to use a work is granted without selling the rights themselves. The person who created or owns the copyright keeps that ownership; the license simply gives another party a defined set of rights to use the work (such as reproducing, distributing, or performing it) for a specified time, under certain limitations and in a defined territory. Even if the license is exclusive, the owner still retains the copyright and controls the underlying rights; the licensee gains only the rights described in the license, not ownership. The ownership would only transfer if there were an actual assignment or sale of the copyright itself. If a work were in the public domain, there would be no copyright to license in the first place.