Who is an author of software?

The "author" of software is generally the original creator or creators of the code (note that a piece of software may have several different authors). The author(s) own(s) the copyright in the program. Under U.S. Copyright Law, when software is created in the course of the creator's employment, however, the employing institution (such as a company or academic institution) is considered the "author" of the code for copyright purposes under the "work made for hire" doctrine. This means that the institution owns the copyright, rather than the individual creator(s). Consistent with U.S. Copyright Law, University of California (UC) policy provides that the University owns software that is created by employees in the course of their employment or created using University resources and facilities; however, the authors are entitled to a share of the revenue from licensing of University-owned software that they create.