Kaneda Copyright Agency {top}

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Copyright FAQ {top}

{FAQ} Who is the author of a cinematographic work?

The author of a cinematographic work is “the person that makes a creative contribution to the overall shaping (making) of the work in charge of its production, direction, stage direction, shooting, art direction, etc.”
It is generally supposed that there are a lot of cases where the producer or the (film, anime, game) director of a cinematographic work becomes the author of the work.
As for an author of its original novel and/or scenario that are adapted into the cinematographic work, or an author of music or other works (e.g. an art work) that are reproduced in the cinematographic work, they are excluded from the category of “the author of a cinematographic work.”
You should remember that copyrights (economic rights) to a cinematographic work may initially belong to the producer of the cinematographic work*[1], depending on cases. (See Art.29(1)).

*[1] A “producer of a cinematographic work” means the person, or the legal entity, who or which takes the initiative in, and has the responsibility for, the production of a cinematographic work.

(ref.) Art. 29(1) of Copyright Act
If the author of a cinematographic work … has promised the producer of the cinematographic work that the author will participate in its production, the copyrights to the cinematographic work belong to the producer of the cinematographic work.