Cal. Codes » Civil Code / DIVISION 2. PROPERTY / PART 3. PERSONAL OR MOVABLE PROPERTY / TITLE 2. PARTICULAR KINDS OF PERSONAL PROPERTY [[953.] - 998.] / CHAPTER 3. Products of the Mind
California Codes

Cal. Civil Code § 982 (2026)

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a)The owner of any rights in any original works of authorship not fixed in any tangible medium of expression may transfer the ownership therein.

(b)The owner of any invention or design, or of any representation or expression thereof, may transfer his or her proprietary interest in it.

(c)Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, whenever a work of fine art is transferred, whether by sale or on commission or otherwise, by or on behalf of the artist who created it, or that artist’s heir, legatee, or personal representative, the right of reproduction thereof is reserved to such artist or such heir, legatee, or personal representative until it passes into the public domain by act or operation of law, unless that right is expressly transferred by a document in writing in which reference is made to the specific right of reproduction, signed by the owner of the rights conveyed or that person’s duly authorized agent. If the transfer is pursuant to an employment relationship, the right of reproduction is transferred to the employer, unless it is expressly reserved in writing. If the transfer is pursuant to a legacy or inheritance, the right of reproduction is transferred to the legatee or heir, unless it is expressly reserved by will or codicil. Nothing contained herein, however, shall be construed to prohibit the fair use of such work of fine art.

(d)As used in subdivision (c):

(1)“Fine art” means any work of visual art, including but not limited to, a drawing, painting, sculpture, mosaic, or photograph, a work of calligraphy, work of graphic art (including an etching, lithograph, offset print, silk screen, or a work of graphic art of like nature), crafts (including crafts in clay, textile, fiber, wood, metal, plastic, and like materials), or mixed media (including a collage, assemblage, or any combination of the foregoing art media).

(2)“Artist” means the creator of a work of fine art.

(3)“Right of reproduction”, at the present state of commerce and technology shall be interpreted as including, but shall not be limited to, the following: reproduction of works of fine art as prints suitable for framing; facsimile casts of sculpture; reproductions used for greeting cards; reproductions in general books and magazines not devoted primarily to art, and in newspapers in other than art or news sections, when such reproductions in books, magazines, and newspapers are used for purposes similar to those of material for which the publishers customarily pay; art films; television, except from stations operated for educational purposes, or on programs for educational purposes from all stations; and reproductions used in any form of advertising, including magazines, calendars, newspapers, posters, billboards, films or television.

(e)The amendments to this section made at the 1975–76 Regular Session shall only apply to transfers made on or after January 1, 1976.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases, 1948–2008 · leading case: In Re Napster, Inc. Copyright Litig., 191 F. Supp. 2d 1087 (N.D. Cal. 2002).
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In Re Napster, Inc. Copyright Litig., 191 F. Supp. 2d 1087 (N.D. Cal. 2002). · cites it 2× “The argument is based on California Civil Code section 982 which says that unfixed sound recordings may be transferred.”
Richlin v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Inc., 531 F.3d 962 (9th Cir. 2008). “Cal. Civ. Code § 982 (1949); Loew’s Inc. v.”
Self-Realization Fellowship Church v. Ananda Church of Self-Realization, 206 F.3d 1322 (9th Cir. 2000). · cites it 2× “Code § 980 extends common law copyright protection to sound recordings, and Cal. Civ.Code § 982 permits authors to transfer their rights in such works.”
Carpenter Found. v. Oakes, 175 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 309 (Cal. Ct. App. 1972). “Code, § 980); that such owner may transfer his ownership (Civ. Code, § 982); that if the owner publishes the composition, it may be used by any person, and that letters and private communications belong to the person to whom they are addressed but may not be published without…”
White v. Kimmell, 190 P.2d 968 (Cal. Ct. App. 1948). “) At least until publication, the common law right to first publication, and the rights incident thereto, existed concurrently with the manuscript and passed to respondent under paragraph (k), by virtue of Probate Code, sections 77 and 78, subject, of course, to whatever rights…”
Richlin v. Metro-Goldwynmayer (9th Cir. 2008). “CAL. CIV. CODE § 982 (1949); Loew’s Inc. v.”
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