Do I own my website? Paying for it doesn't settle it
Here's what US copyright law says, the four parts of a website that can each have a different owner, a 10-minute check you can run today, and what to do if you're locked out.
This article is also in Spanish: ¿De quién es su sitio web, de verdad?
If a designer built your website, the short answer is this: you own what your contract says you own, in writing. Paying the invoice isn't enough on its own. I build websites for small businesses around Sebastian and Vero Beach, and "I paid for it, so it's mine" is one of the most common things I hear from owners who are about to find out it isn't.
This isn't legal advice. It's what the law says in plain words, plus the checks I'd run if it were my business.
The default rule: the person who made it owns it
US copyright law starts with the creator, not the person who paid. The Copyright Act says: "Copyright in a work protected under this title vests initially in the author or authors of the work."[1] If you hired a freelancer or an agency and signed nothing about ownership, the design, code and text they wrote start out as theirs.
Ownership can move to you, but the law sets a rule for how: "A transfer of copyright ownership, other than by operation of law, is not valid unless an instrument of conveyance," or a note or memorandum of the transfer, is in writing and signed by the owner of the rights being transferred or their authorized agent.[2] A handshake, an unsigned email saying "it's all yours" or a paid invoice doesn't meet that rule.
Why "work for hire" usually doesn't cover a website
Many contracts say "work for hire," and many owners assume that settles it. For an outside designer, it often doesn't. A commissioned work counts as a work made for hire only if it fits one of nine categories set by the Copyright Act and listed by the US Copyright Office: a contribution to a collective work, part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, a translation, a supplementary work, a compilation, an instructional text, a test, answer material for a test, or an atlas.[3]
The Copyright Office adds: "The agreement must be signed by all parties."[3]
A typical business website doesn't fit neatly into any of those categories. That's why the clause you want is a written assignment of copyright to you, signed by the designer, not just the words "work for hire."
Your website is really four things
When people ask who owns their website, they usually mean four separate things, and each can have a different owner:
- The domain name. It's registered to a "registrant." That should be you or your business, not your designer.
- The hosting. You rent this from a host or a platform. What matters is whose account it is and who pays.
- The design, code, text and photos. This is where copyright applies, so this is where the written assignment matters. Stock photos and fonts come with their own licenses.
- The logins. That means your logins for the registrar, the host or builder, analytics and your Google Business Profile. If you don't hold the top-level login, you don't control it day to day, even if the paperwork says it's yours.
The "free website" trap
Some providers build the site for free or for a low setup fee, then charge monthly. Nothing is wrong with a monthly plan. What matters is what happens when you stop paying.
Ask one question before you sign: if I cancel, do I keep the domain, the site files and every login? If the answer is "you'd have to buy it out" or "it's on our platform," you're leasing, not buying.
Check what you own in 10 minutes
Look up your domain
Search your domain with ICANN's free Lookup tool at lookup.icann.org, which shows its current registration data.[4] See which registrar holds it, then log in to that registrar yourself. If you can't, find out whose account the domain sits in.
Log in to your host or builder
Make sure you hold your own owner-level account, not a "user" seat on your designer's account.
Find your contract
Search it for "assign," "copyright" and "ownership." Look for a signed transfer to you.
Check your Google Business Profile
Google says owners have "full control over the profile," while managers "can't add or remove users or remove the profile." Google also says: "Only owners can remove other owners and managers."[5] If your designer is the primary owner and you're a manager, they control it.
If you're already locked out
- Write everything down first. Save invoices, the contract, emails and screenshots of what you can still see.
- Ask your designer, in writing, to move the domain, hosting and Business Profile ownership to accounts in your name, and to send you the site files.
- Go to the registrar, not ICANN. ICANN says it "does not have contractual authority to require a registrar to transfer a domain name back." If a domain was moved or changed without your permission, ICANN says to "contact the registrar immediately for assistance."[6]
- If it's still stuck, call a lawyer. Copyright assignments and contract disputes are legal questions, and a local attorney can tell you what your paperwork supports.
The clause to look for before you hire anyone
Before you sign with any designer, me included, look for three things in writing:
- the domain is registered in your name;
- you get every login, including owner access to your Google Business Profile;
- a copyright assignment to you, signed by the designer.
Questions people ask
Do I own my website if my web designer built it?
Not by default. Copyright starts with the creator, so the design, code and text your designer wrote start out as theirs. A transfer has to be in writing and signed by whoever owns the rights, usually the designer.
Do I own my website if I paid in full?
Not automatically. Paying the invoice doesn't transfer copyright. The signed, written transfer does.
Does "work for hire" in my contract make me the owner?
For a website, usually not, because websites aren't among the nine categories the Copyright Act allows for commissioned work. A signed assignment is the safer wording.
My designer registered my domain. Is that a problem?
It is if the domain is in their account and not yours. Look it up, then ask for it to be moved to your own registrar account.
Can I lose my domain name?
Yes, if the registration expires and nobody renews it. ICANN's renewal rules require your registrar to email the registered holder at least twice before it expires, about a month before and about a week before.[8] That's one more reason the domain should be in your name with an email you actually read.
Can ICANN get my domain back?
No. ICANN says it has no contractual authority to make a registrar transfer a domain back. Start with the registrar.
I'm in Indian River County. Does Florida change any of this?
Copyright is federal law, so the copyright rules above come from the US Copyright Act. For anything in your specific contract, ask a Florida attorney.
- 17 U.S.C. § 201(a), Ownership of copyright: initial ownership. Source for copyright vesting initially in the author. Checked October 21, 2026. law.cornell.edu
- 17 U.S.C. § 204(a), Execution of transfers of copyright ownership. Source for a transfer needing a signed writing. Checked October 21, 2026. law.cornell.edu
- US Copyright Office. Circular 30, Works Made for Hire (revised 08/2024). Source for the nine categories of commissioned works and "The agreement must be signed by all parties." Checked October 21, 2026. copyright.gov
- ICANN. ICANN Lookup. Source for the tool showing current registration data for domain names. Checked October 21, 2026. lookup.icann.org
- Google Business Profile Help. Manage your Business Profile owners & managers. Source for what owners and managers can do. Checked October 21, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/3403100
- ICANN. About Unauthorized Transfers and Changes of Registrant. Source for ICANN not having authority to order a domain transferred back, and for contacting the registrar. Checked October 21, 2026. icann.org
- Top Three Web Design. Services and prices. Source for my ownership and cancellation terms. Checked October 21, 2026. topthreewebdesign.com/services
- ICANN. Expired Registration Recovery Policy (version of February 21, 2024). Source for the two renewal notices, about one month and about one week before expiration. Checked October 21, 2026. icann.org
Not sure what you own? I'll check it with you.
If you're in Sebastian, Vero Beach or elsewhere in Indian River County, I'll walk through the four checks with you. Send me a note through my contact page.
