property of artwork

I am creating a stationary product. I am trying to feature some different artwork that I would like to get different artists to submit different types of artwork for- not just mine- so that all tastes will appear/appeal to different customers.
my question is- if I would hire someone to give me some drawing/artwork/patterns - would I need them to sign something that said they had no rights to it? is that bold to ask? It will be used within the actual product itself - hope I am making myself clear... I don't want them coming back and saying, "hey, that's mine!"
thanks-
Heather

Heather,

I believe what you are referring to is called a work for hire agreement. Try this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_for_hire

Anyone can e-mail me @ inspiration2innovation@gmail.com and I will send you a sample agreement that you could use at a starting point. You may want to have an attorney look it over.

Stephen is correct. The term is work for hire or flat fee work. You need to let the people know up front that it is a one time payment for the work and that they are assigning the rights to the drawing to you.