Moral Rights
The legal concept of an author's "moral rights" in works of
authorship comes from European legal systems and is of limited application under
U.S. law.
Moral rights are inalienable rights that accrue to authors. Unlike copyright,
in which the "author" can be a corporation, the moral rights remain
with the individual (i.e. human being) who created the work regardless of
whether it is a work for hire. In the US, such rights apply only to works in the
"visual arts" (sculptures, paintings, prints, and still photographic
images). These rights may be waived, but not transferred, and unlike copyright,
they die with the author. In other countries such as Canada and France, moral
rights are statute-based rights enjoyed by individuals (not corporations) that
provide for limits on the rights of copyright owners.
- Attribution is the author's right to be given credit as author of the work.
- Integrity is the author's right to not have the work defaced or distorted
in a way that would injure the fame of the author.
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