Hello, If you pay someone to write articles for you... what is the easiest way to purchase the entire copyright to the work? Thanks.
Agreed. I'd have a prior written agreement that you retain the intellectual rights to anything they produce on your behalf. I think this would only be a 'gentleman's' agreement - it would be difficult to convince a court that they had stolen the copyright to something they had written themself!
Assuming the person you hire is in the U.S., you want to read this US copyright office circular on "work for hire" : http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ9.html You definitely need a written agreement that clearly spells out that the article is "a work made for hire" and that you will retain the copyright. Here is more information about such contracts from the writers' perspective: http://www.asja.org/pubtips/wmfh01.php Alternatively, you could sign an agreement that gives you exclusive license to the work, but the author retains the copyright.
If there's no contract, you don't own all the rights to the article. It's as simple as that. Copyright is actually a bundle of rights. It's not "one" thing that you have or don't have. Without a contract, you are basically buying the right to use the item, but not necessarily how you see fit. The creator still has rights to the item as well.
Yes, if you want to buy copyright over the article, you can do so by giving notice in advance and by paying(if there is arrangements of that kind), for it. Once you buy the copyright over the materials, it will be easier for u in case of enforcements come, after some infringements.