Cinema Law: Who Owns What? Raw Footage vs. Completed Project

By Gregory Korn
URL: http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/item/cinema_law_who_owns_what_raw_footage_vs_completed_project_20090623/
Q: In shooting promotional/marketing or educational/instructional videos, my clients often seem confused about who owns the raw footage and who owns the finished piece when the project is complete. My understanding is that the clients own the finished piece that I was contracted to produce, but I reserve the rights to the master, raw footage I shot to be able to make that video. I’ve since written into my contracts that I own the raw footage and can use it for non-competing marketing materials as well as my own company’s marketing materials. But I also say that they can have access to a copy (the non-master files) of that footage if they request it and can use it however they best see fit. I added the last part when clients became unhappy with not owning all the raw takes/shots. Is there a right or wrong way to approach this issue and is there an appropriate way to phrase it in a contract?