Rights of copyright owner

The owner of the copyright retains the exclusive right to:

  • reproduce/copy a work
  • publish
  • perform in public
  • communicate the work to the public via electronic means - including making it available online or sending via email
  • make an adaptation of a work - including a translation (More info : Adaptation and remix page)
  • the right to undertake any of the above acts in relation to an adaptation

This means that permission needs to be obtained from the owner of copyright before anyone can do any of these acts unless the use meets the criteria of an exception or Copyright provision, or is made available under a licence.

Moral rights and attributions

Moral rights are the legal obligation to attribute or give credit to the creator of a work, to not give false attribution, and to not use works in a derogatory manner that would bring disrepute to the creator.

Moral rights arise automatically under the Copyright Act, and cannot be sold or transferred. There are three types of moral rights:

  • Right of attribution: this is the right of an author to be identified and named as the author of his/her work.
  • Right against false attribution: this is the right of an author to stop someone else being credited as the author of their work.
  • Right of integrity: this is the right of an author to ensure that his/her work is not subjected to derogatory treatment which is any act in relation to the work that is in any manner harmful to the author's honour or reputation.

Moral rights ensure a creator of a work is attributed, and that right can not be sold or transferred. In some circumstances the creator can waive their rights.

Attribution is the legal acknowledgement of where the original content came from and the licence it has been shared under. It is a practical requirement of open licencing, including all Creative Commons licences. Citation is the academic referencing for the idea or concept.

For detailed instructions see Attributions in practice.