Discussion:
I am in Texas, the contractor is in California.
I was contracted to write a miniatures based wargame for a game company, a sole propietorship. The argreement was three payments, to be paid at the completion of each stage of the project. After the second stage, the owner of the company died. The game is complete, no one works for the company now except contractors. Who owns the rights to the game, as well as the artwork, sculptings, etc.? Does ownership revert back to the designers and artists, or is the company the holder of the titles?
Answer:
Do you have a written contract with the company? What does the written contract say about ownership of the rights?
Answer:
Written contract, it's a house work owned by Studio Vista in return for the set amount. The contract does not cover what happens in the case of death of owner of the company before payment is fully rendered.
Answer:
Written contract, it's a house work owned by Studio Vista in return for the set amount. The contract does not cover what happens in the case of death of owner of the company before payment is fully rendered. But does it specify who owns the IP (copyrights, etc.), regardless of whether anyone died or not?
Answer:
The company would own the IP in exchange for payment rendered.
Answer:
The company would own the IP in exchange for payment rendered. Then the heirs of the (now deceased) owner would own the rights. Perhaps you could negotiate with the heirs to obtain the rights from them, if they are not interested in going forward with the project.