1 Client material remains the client's
Larkwell Editorial does not acquire ownership of a pre-existing manuscript, research, trade mark, illustration, or other client material by receiving or editing it. Rights held by the client and by third parties remain with their respective owners unless a valid agreement provides otherwise. Permission to work on a document is different from permission to publish it.
2 Limited project permission
The client authorizes the copies, annotations, revisions, and internal sharing reasonably needed to assess or perform the agreed work, subject to confidentiality and access restrictions. This permission does not authorize us to sell the manuscript, offer it to a publisher, post it publicly, or reuse confidential passages for another client. Any additional use requires an appropriate agreement.
3 Rights in newly created text
For commissioned original text, the written agreement must state whether the client receives an assignment or a license, the works covered, the permitted uses, and when the rights take effect. It should address fees, drafts, territories, duration, adaptations, credit, and any reserved rights. Payment or delivery alone is not represented by this policy as transferring every intellectual property right in every jurisdiction.
4 Signed assignments and commissioned works
Where United States law applies, a voluntary copyright ownership transfer generally requires a writing signed by the owner or an authorized agent. Describing independent commissioned writing as a work made for hire does not alone establish that status; statutory conditions matter. The engagement should therefore include an appropriate signed assignment or license where needed rather than relying only on the website policy or the label ghostwriting.
5 Drafts and background materials
The proposal should distinguish the final commissioned deliverable from preliminary alternatives, unused drafts, and pre-existing editorial methods or templates. Any retained background material incorporated into a deliverable must carry a license adequate for the agreed use. We will not use a background rights reservation to claim ownership of the client's pre-existing manuscript or prevent an expressly agreed use of the paid final text.
6 Ghostwriting credit and author responsibility
Private commercial ghostwriting may provide for confidential assistance, publication under a client's name, or another agreed credit, where lawful. The client must have authority to commission and approve the work. Confidential credit arrangements do not override academic, professional, publisher, employment, or disclosure rules. Moral rights and attribution rights vary by jurisdiction and must be addressed where relevant; this policy assumes no universal waiver.
7 Quotations permissions and third-party content
The client must identify third-party passages, photographs, archival records, interviews, trade marks, and other restricted content supplied for a project. The proposal should allocate responsibility for obtaining and paying for permissions. Attribution alone does not establish permission. Unless rights clearance is expressly included, editorial assistance does not certify that every quotation, personal account, or proposed use is legally cleared.
8 Publicity and publication permissions
Permission to edit a work is not permission to use it in advertising, a public case study, or a portfolio. Any such use requires specific permission under the Confidentiality and Manuscript Handling Policy. We do not register copyright, act as a literary agent, license publishing rights, or authorize print production unless a separate agreement expressly includes that service.
9 Intellectual property concerns
If you believe material used by us infringes your rights, contact projects@larkwelleditorial.com with your name, the work concerned, the location or project reference, the basis of your rights, and a clear explanation of the concern. Please provide only relevant information. We may seek clarification and review or restrict the disputed use while assessing it. This contact process is not a representation of statutory safe-harbour status.
10 Resolving ownership questions
Raise any uncertainty about rights before publication, printing, licensing, or reuse. The signed agreement, the nature of the contribution, third-party rights, and applicable law determine the result. Nothing in this policy grants rights the company does not own, removes a non-waivable right, or replaces specialist advice for a disputed chain of title.
Contact Larkwell Editorial
Email: projects@larkwelleditorial.com
Address: 708 W 2nd St, Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: +1 928 564 0160