Copyright in the networked world

Abstract

In copyright law, the principle of moral rights is that some part of the creator’s personality has gone into each original work, and that that element of personality cannot be sold or transferred. Moral rights are not about money, which is readily divisible, but about concepts like reputation and integrity, which are not. This column offers three examples of international collaborations where moral rights expectations could clash. At present the best remedy for moral rights disputes in the neworked environment is for all parties to understand the potential for diverging expectations.