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Copyright explained

Moral rights

When using other people’s work, you should also respect their moral rights, which are distinct from copyright. Moral rights protect non-economic interests, such as your reputation.

Four categories of moral rights are associated with authorship:

  • Paternity: the right to be acknowledged as the author.
  • Integrity: the right to prevent derogatory treatment of your work.
  • False attribution: the right not to be named as the author of a work you did not create.
  • Disclosure: the right to withhold publication of an image or broadcast.

Moral rights cannot be sold or transferred, although they can be voluntarily waived. In some cases, an author may have waived their moral rights as part of an employment contract or a publishing agreement.