I hired a local videographer to film some promotional clips for my shop. We didn't sign any paperwork. Now I want to use the footage on social media and maybe a website, but he says he owns it and I need his permission. I paid him for the work. Who actually owns the videos?
Video Rights
Who owns videos filmed by someone I pay?
Did you pay him as an employee or as an independent contractor? That distinction can matter a lot.
Generally the person who films owns the copyright unless there's a written agreement transferring it. Paying someone doesn't automatically give you ownership.
This is why contracts exist. Without one, you're probably stuck negotiating.
Actually, if he was an independent contractor, he owns it. If he was your employee, you might own it as work for hire. But you said you paid him for the work, which sounds like contractor. So yeah, he likely owns it.
I went through something similar. Ended up having to buy the footage from the guy. Cost me extra buut lesson learned.
What does 'paid him for the work' mean exactly? Did you pay for his time or for the final product? Sometimes that changes things.
This isn't legal advice, but you should probably talk to a lawyer. Copyright stuff gets messy fast.
Also, even if he owns the copyright, you might have an implied license to use it for the purpose you hired him for. But that's fuzzy without a contract tbh.
Ask him what he wants. Maybe he'll let you usr it for a credit or a small fee.
I'm not a lawyer, but I've read that if you commission a work, you don't get the copyright unless it's explicitly assigned in writing. So he's probably right.
So many people skip the the contract. It's a costly mistake.
Try to work it out amicably. Maybe offer him a license fee for the footage you need.
If you can't agree, you might have to reshoot. Sucks but it happens.