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Who Owns Work on UpWork?

Last updated on September 29, 2022 @ 10:02 pm

As the world increasingly moves online, more and more businesses are starting to outsource work to freelancers found on platforms like UpWork. But who actually owns the work that these freelancers produce – the freelancer, the client, or UpWork?

There are a few different schools of thought on this matter. The first is that the work belongs to the freelancer.

After all, they are the ones who created it and put in the time and effort. The second is that the work belongs to the client, since they are the ones who paid for it and likely have a use for it.

PRO TIP: When hiring someone on Upwork, be aware that the freelancer may not actually own the work they produce for you. If you’re not careful, you could end up with a legal dispute on your hands. Make sure to read the freelancer’s terms of service carefully and get any agreements in writing before work begins.

The third possibility is that UpWork actually owns the work. This is because when you sign up for an account on their platform, you agree to their terms and conditions.

And in those terms and conditions, it states that UpWork has the right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, publicly perform, and publicly display any content that you post on their site. This means that technically, anything you create on UpWork could be used by them in any way they see fit – even if you’re not the one who gets paid for it in the end.

So who really owns work created on UpWork? It depends on who you ask. But one thing is for sure – when you’re outsourcing work on this platform, you should be aware of how your content could be used down the line.

Madison Geldart

Madison Geldart

Cloud infrastructure engineer and tech mess solver.