Creator ownership

Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material, regardless of whether it is self-published or published by a corporate publisher. In some fields of publishing, such as fiction writing, creator ownership is a standard arrangement. In other fields — such as comic books, recorded music, or motion pictures — creator ownership has traditionally been uncommon, with either work for hire or publisher purchase of the material being standard practice.

Comic books

Origins

Most successful American comics have been traditionally either sold to their publishers before publication, or produced as work for hire. Consequently, creator's rights have long been a source of conflict, going back to the industry's late 1930s origins. Creator-owned titles began to appear during the late-1960s underground comix movement, and in the superhero genre with the mid-1970s creation of the short-lived company Atlas/Seaboard Comics.