Round to Fit, LLC v. Reimer

JAMES R. SWEENEY II, JUDGE

Under the Copyright Act, an employer is deemed to be the initial author of a "work made for hire," and thereby the initial owner of the copyright in the work. In order for this Court to render a declaration of authorship or ownership, an independent basis for federal jurisdiction beyond the Declaratory Judgment Act must exist. The Court now considers whether, when authorship and ownership in a copyright under the work made for hire doctrine by virtue of an employee acting within the scope of the employee's employment is asserted, the determination of authorship *832arises…