Which statement describes a qualification to be an author?

• A. The creator is the author unless the work is created in the author's capacity as an employee within the course of employment.
• B. The author is the person who funds the project.
• C. The author is the person who licenses the work to others.
• D. The author is always the person who signs the contract.

Answer: (A)

Authorship is about who creates the work. The statement describes the standard rule plus the key exception: the creator is the author, but if the work is created by an employee within the course of their employment, the employer is treated as the author instead. That “work made for hire” idea is the core reason this statement is correct in entertainment law: it recognizes that ownership can shift from the individual creator to the hiring entity when the work is done as part of employment duties.

The other factors—who funds the project, who licenses the work to others, or who signs the contract—don’t determine who is the author. They can influence control, licensing, or ownership terms, but they don’t define who is legally the author.