copyright copyright-transfer translation
copyright of a translated text
<p>Who owns copyright of a translated text?</p>
<p>Person A wrote a text. Person B translated the text to a different language, as requested by a person A, as a paid translation service. Does the person A need to buy copyright or some other right of the translated version from the person B in order to edit or use for commercial purposes the translated text in the future?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>

<p>Likely depends on the jurisdiction, so my answer will be general, assuming European Union:</p>
<p>If the original is copyrightable (usually, if it is &quot;creative enough&quot; and not belonging to the list of exceptions), the translated text is creative as well and is considered an adaptation of the original, and as such the copyright is shared between the original author and the translator.</p>
<p>Usually, the distribution and property rights of the translator are agreed on in a license agreement beforehand, otherwise it might very well become impossible to publish/distribute.</p>

<p>You are missing the country, and you are missing which contract was signed. If the translator was paid to make the translation, then unless the copyright holder is very stupid, there will be a contract that tells exactly which rights the copyright holder has. That may be a license to financially exploit the translation, or a contract that says copyright will be transferred from the translator to the original author. Without a contract, you'd have to look at the law of the company where this happens.</p>
