‘Friday the 13th’ Copyright Case Is Rare Termination Rights Guide

Lessons from the “Friday the 13th” writer’s reclamation of rights could benefit creators getting ready to transfer rights to potentially lucrative artistic work—in 2056.

Victor Miller convinced both a federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit he wasn’t an employee writing the script for the 1980 horror movie as a work for hire under copyright law. Instead, he originally owned a copyright and had a right to terminate his licensing of the script.

Termination rights let creators reclaim rights 35 to 40 years after assigning them under the Copyright Act of 1976. The law ...