Publishers' requirements of copyright assignments

[Charles Oppenheim <C.Oppenheim@lboro.ac.uk>]

I am familiar with journal publishers asking the author to assign
copyright.  I would like to know if anyone has come across a publisher
asking that the *author's employer*, i.e. the University, also assigns
copyright to it.  In other words, are any publishers hedging their bets
because of possible doubts about an author really owns the copyright to
some research output by getting a second assignment for the same article
from the employer?

Many thanks in anticipation,

Professor Charles Oppenheim
Dept of Information Science
Loughborough University
Loughborough
Leics LE11 3TU

Tel 01509-223065
Fax 01509-223053