Affidavit of Original Work and Release

This document functions as a sworn statement by an original creator who affirms ownership of specific works and transfers broad rights to a company. It is a written statement made on personal knowledge by the person making the affidavit, who claims to be of sound mind and able to verify facts under oath. By signing, the author states that the information is accurate and true to the best of their belief, creating testimony that can be used as a general affidavit in business transactions and, if needed, in court proceedings.

The affiant identifies their residency and lists the works in Exhibit B, describing when they were created and, where available, noting registrations and publication dates, including Library of Congress numbers. This statement helps establish identity, authorship, and ownership of the intellectual property assets. It also contains a clear non-infringement warranty: nothing in the works violates another owner's rights. Such assurances reduce risk when the company is acquiring creative assets and planning to publish or resell them.

Beyond authorship, the document includes a grant and quitclaim of rights that functions much like a deed for intangible property. The author gives the company the absolute and irrevocable power to use, display, distribute, transmit, publish, re-publish, copy, alter, and even copyright the materials, in any medium now known or later developed. In plain terms, the company gains broad authority to exploit the works without restriction, and it may choose whether or not to use the author's name.

The release clause discharges the company and its agents from claims tied to that use, including privacy, right of publicity, and defamation claims. Together, the grant and release support a valid transfer of rights under law and reduce later disputes.

While this form focuses on intellectual property, affidavits are generally used across many subjects: residency, marriage, assets, money, or debts, and they appear in court documents in civil, family law, and sometimes criminal law contexts. When such a statement is submitted or filed, it is often notarized by a notary public to confirm identity and make the sworn statement acceptable to a court in the proper jurisdiction. Witnesses may be involved depending on the form.

If the person signing is a minor, additional formalities may apply. A lawyer or attorney can provide a legal opinion tailored to your instance and location, but this article is general information, not legal advice.

Businesses use this kind of affidavit and release when onboarding creators, purchasing content libraries, or preparing for publication and licensing. It helps verify the chain of title, reduces uncertainty about third-party claims, and documents the company's authority to use the materials. Properly prepared, signed, and, where appropriate, notarized, it becomes strong evidence of ownership and rights for future events, including audits or disputes.

Proposal Kit helps organizations prepare documents like this efficiently. Its document assembly tools, AI Writer, and extensive template library streamline writing and customization, while automated line-item quoting supports related proposals and budgets. Teams can produce consistent, professional paperwork with ease of use across departments.

To expand, this affidavit-and-release structure supports governance as much as transactions. Companies regularly collect such sworn statements during content onboarding, catalog consolidation, and brand refresh cycles so every asset has a clear chain of title before a major event such as a product launch or a licensing deal. Treat the listed works as the subject of a compliance packet: the exhibits, dates, and ownership facts together show the truth of origin and the absence of third-party claims, which helps marketing and legal teams move faster with less risk.

Execution discipline matters. The person who signs should be legally authorized to bind the owner of the works, and the signature should match the identity information in the body of the form. When submitting the affidavit to internal records or, if needed, to a court, ensure the package includes the exhibits the form says it will mention.

If the company uses agents, add a clear title by the signer so the signer's capacity is not in doubt. In short, sign an affidavit only when the signer has personal knowledge of the facts or documented authority to speak to them.

As an example, a publisher acquiring a freelancer's photo library can have the creator sign this form to attest to authorship, list registration numbers, and grant broad reuse rights. That single filing can later support ad placements, catalog sales, and cross-platform distribution without renegotiation. If a dispute arises, the affidavit serves as sworn testimony about ownership and permissions tied to the works at issue.

The Proposal Kit helps teams prepare these packets consistently. Its template library provides structured forms and exhibit lists; document assembly builds the affidavit with correct names, dates, and ownership statements; AI Writer assists with the brief history sections; and automated line-item quoting supports related proposal budgets. The result is a repeatable workflow that produces clean, professional documents with signature blocks and clear instructions, improving accuracy and ease of use across departments.

Beyond ownership attestation, this affidavit and release reshape how a company can monetize and manage creative assets. Because the grant is absolute, irrevocable, and allows alteration in any medium, the acquirer can adapt the works into derivative products, combine them with other materials, and deploy them across channels without renegotiation. The release for privacy, publicity, and defamation further lowers dispute risk tied to marketing copy, packaging, or editorial contexts. These clauses collectively expand the business's power to plan long-term campaigns and licensing programs with predictable rights.

Stronger evidence flows from disciplined exhibits. Exhibit B works best as a catalog that lists titles, creation dates, registrations, and publication dates, plus clear cross-references to stored files. For digital assets, teams often add internal IDs or checksums to help verify the accurate match between the sworn statement and the files in storage. Pairing the affidavit with internal clearance notes (for example, no third-party fonts embedded or all models cleared elsewhere) helps future reviewers understand the subject matter quickly when the document is pulled during an audit or due diligence event.

Execution controls reduce avoidable challenges. Ensure the person making the statement is legally authorized to transfer rights as owner or agent, and that their identity matches the signature block. Train signers to attest only to facts within their personal knowledge and belief; truth matters because this is sworn testimony given under oath.

When you sign an affidavit, do so on the correct form for the jurisdiction, include any witnesses if required, and consider having it notarized by a notary public before submitting it to records or, if later filed, to court documents in a dispute. Include every exhibit the form says it will mention, and date and sign consistently across all pages, so the record remains valid.

Use situations vary. In a media-merger instance, the acquirer can consolidate libraries by having contributors sign and submit this affidavit to capture the chain of title before the content is rebranded. In another example, a training company absorbing a contractor's video series can rely on the quitclaim to localize, caption, and excerpt clips regularly for new products. Although affidavits also appear generally in civil, family law, and even criminal law contexts about assets, money, debts, residency, or marriage, this article focuses on creative ownership and commercial reuse.

Proposal Kit supports these workflows by making it easier to prepare and assemble consistent paperwork. Teams can use its extensive template library to write affidavits and exhibits, apply document assembly to populate parties and lists, rely on the AI Writer to create concise history sections, and add automated line-item quoting to related proposals. The result is a streamlined, repeatable process that helps organizations produce clear, professional packets with ease of use across departments.

Writing the Affidavit of Original Work and Release document - The Narrative

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