Ownership of copyright

(1) Subject to this Act, the author of a protected work is the first owner of any copyright in that work unless there is an agreement to the contrary. (2) Subsection (1) of this section, shall not apply to copyright subsisting in a work pursuant to section 144 of this Act. 44 (3) Where a protected work is a work of joint authorship the authors thereof shall be co-owners of any copyright in that work. (4) Where a protected work has been made by or under the direction or control of the Government and, apart from this subsection no copyright would subsist in the work, then copyright shall subsist therein by virtue of this subsection and shall initially belong to the State. (5) The copyright subsisting in a protected work which has, with the author’s written consent, been first published in Belize by or under the direction or control of the Government shall initially belong to the State. (6) Subsection (5) of this section, shall have effect subject to any agreement whereby it is agreed that the copyright in the work shall vest in the author or in some other person designated in the agreement. (7) For the purposes of this section, the term “agreement” includes any conditions regulating or applying to the employment of a person in the service of the State.