Interesting copyright case in the UK

Although the case doesn't involve photography, it has implications regarding "work for hire" where copyright hasn't been explicitly assigned to one party or the other.

I think that this could easily be applied to photography. There is a lesson to be learned in this one, put everything in writing.

I hire additional shooters on a regular basis and have an agreement that they must sign before I let them shoot anything on my behalf.

I get the impression that this was not some little utility code that this guy was writing for him but something that was worth some $$$$$. I cannot believe that the fellow that did the hiring would not have had some sort of agreement in place from the get go. Live and learn.