Who owns intellectual property such as music, graphics, and imagery?

• A. Public Domain
• B. Copyright Holder
• C. License Holder
• D. Producer

Answer: (B)

Ownership of music, graphics, and imagery is held by the copyright holder—the creator or the entity that has been legally assigned the rights. Copyright gives that holder control over reproducing, distributing, displaying, performing, and creating derivative works. Public domain isn’t ownership; it means the work isn’t protected by copyright or its protection has expired, so anyone can use it. A license holder has permission to use the work under specific terms but does not own the rights. A producer isn’t necessarily the owner of the work’s rights in general, though ownership can shift to an employer or client in certain work-for-hire or contract situations.