You have the right to be identified as the author or director of your work. Sounds pretty obvious, but did you know that it needs to be asserted?
You have the right to be identified as the author or director of your work. Sounds pretty obvious, but did you know that it needs to be asserted? It can be your real name, or a pseudonym, but it needs to be in writing, somewhere, how you want to be known. Often, it’s right after the © sign, but it could also be on a name plate beside your painting, or on a page on your website, for example, but it needs to be stated that YOU are the artist.
This is the first moral right outlined in the Copyright Act (1994.) It means that if you wrote, recorded, directed, authored a work or designed a building, you have the right to be identified every time that work is published, performed, shown, seen, communicated, exhibited...you get the picture...and the Copyright Act (1994) does outline some specific examples
Sometimes, we’re more than happy for others to use our work without payment, but usually, we do like to be properly recognised, and that’s a protected right. Unfortunately, in the digital world, it’s super easy to share works without attributing the original creator, and aside from the fact that that is blatant copyright infringement, it has become a bit of a norm.
At the least, it can be disappointing or annoying to see your work being shared without identifying you as the author; but when it impacts revenue opportunities, it can be significant.
Is there a remedy? As with every infringement situation, the burden is on you to assert your rights. If you find an infringement, contact the person who has infringed on your right, explain the situation, be clear that you want to be attributed correctly, and explain exactly what that should look like.
If it’s an organisation that needs verification that you are the copyright owner, have good records as proof, such as contracts, dated work logs, and the link to your original posting and so on, to support your claim of copyright ownership.
Interested in finding out how copyright applies to you?
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