Moral right to be identified as the author of a work

[desantnik]

ok, so here is the low down from the UK IP office:

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-otherprotect/c-moralrights.htm

What is the score with the use of an image on the internet and have you expressed your desire to be identified as the author of an image if the copy is correctly identified with EXIF information?

 

[Pookeyhead]

If you asserted your Moral rights, you can insist on attribution. You did assert Moral rights, yes? I sounds as if you have. It's not automatically assumed like Copyright is. You have to stipulate on the image, or associated license to use that you have. It's all down to how you expressed your desire to be attributed as the author. Usually, in addition to a cpoyright notice, you'd put "All Moral Rights Asserted" and also sign it.

 

[desantnik]

Ok, thanks.

I may have to change some of the wording in my IPTC data I think.

 

[Pookeyhead]

The exact wording doesn't really matter that much, but you need to make it clear that it's your moral rights you are asserting, and not just asking that things aren't changed. You can ask for things not to be changed, but if you have not made it clear that you are asserting your moral rights, people can chose to ignore your request.

 

[jon ryan]

Do bear in mind that there are exclusions:

There are a number of situations within which these rights do not apply including:

where the work is a computer program
where ownership of a work originally vested in an author's employer
where the material is being used in newspapers or magazines
reference works such as encyclopaedias or dictionaries

No idea why this should be, but quite a few publications in the UK don't credit editorial work.

 

[Pookeyhead]

The irony is, that computer programs nearly always have the work of the developers attributed.. usually very prominently.

 

[jon ryan]

Indeed. If you allow the credits to roll on 'About Photoshop' in the 'Help' menu of CS6 Extended (quite day at the office...) there are literally thousands named as developers - including a 'Grand Poobah' and two godesses.

 

[desantnik]

The irony is that I never have trouble with newspapers and magazines, its the others that are bastids