An email exchange between attorneys for an author and a movie producer proposing terms of a deal, where one party says “Let me know if this is okay and we’ll send paperwork” and the other responds “Done . . . thanks!” does not create a binding contract sufficient to transfer a copyright, according to the California Court of Appeals.MVP Entertainment, Inc. v. Frost [PDF]. The case interprets Section 204 of the Copyright Act, which governs transfers of copyright ownership.
MVP sought...
