Discussion:
What is the name of your state? CALIFORNIA
Does anyone know ... if the creator of a piece of work (in this case, a short film) gives exclusive rights to a company (through a contract), to distribute and publicize his work, does this mean that the creator does not have the right to publicize himself?? Or does the creator always retain his own rights in an assignment? [The contract says that at all times the creator is to remain the owner of the work].
Any advice appreciated!
Answer:
Exclusive right means just that. No, as a matter of law you cannot publicize it but I don’t think they are going to feel bad about you spending money out of your pocket to publicize it.
According to your post, the exclusive right is only to distribute and publicize the work, it does not extend to other activities. For instance, they cannot alter the work without your consent.
There should be a provision describing the modality of termination of the contract, like when, how, whether there will be indemnities, ... etc. If you are a novice in this contract business, get an attorney to draft the contract for you.