Right of Attribution:
New Sui Generis Rights in the World
Thea T. Crane, J.D.
What Are Moral Rights?

Berne, Article 6bis:
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Attribution (paternity)
Integrity (mutilation)
Publication


When & if to publish (By
name/pseudonym/anonymously)
Rights exist upon creation of the work



No requirements
Bolsters artist’s reputation & promotes
creativity
Distinct from economic rights granted
in copyright
Moral Rights vs. Copyright
Moral Rights
•
Most often
perpetual
•
Rights follow
author*
(unassignable)
•
•
Paternity-Based
Copyright
Right stems
from
creation
&
ownership
•
Definite
duration
•
Rights follow
owner*
•
EconomicsBased
The Americas:
Countries explicitly granting moral rights



Created a detailed table of
ASIPI Member Countries’
latest moral rights laws.
Could not make it fit…
Happy to show the table to
anyone who is interested!
Moral Rights & Attribution:
A Renaissance?

Returning to the forefront
with cultural issues and social
changes


Respecting & preserving
cultural heritage
New importance of social
media
New Zealand:
A Cultural Heritage Case Study

Haka Ka Mate Attribution
Act 2014


Shifts focus: economic 
moral rights
Requirements:



Clear & prominent
statement of origin
Applies to all commercial
use, films, public displays
Enforced by tribe only
A Different Direction:
The Age of Social Media

Existence of rights
simultaneous with
creation


Often, rights holders
remain unaware
Speed of sharing work


YouTube, Twitter,
Instagram, Pinterest
Platform policies on
attribution
Australia:
A Case Study of Negative Attribution

Australian Moral
Rights Law


Includes right against
false attribution
Why is this a problem
that deserves remedy?

Different from
lawsuits for
defamation, false
light, libel, etc.
Looking Forward:
Potential Cultural Impact in the Americas

Can we apply these
models to other nations?


Case study: U.S.
protection for Mardi
Gras Indian suits
Need for further
protection (or not)?

Existing alternative to
legislation in Creative
Commons
The Durationator:
Expanding to consider the “full picture”
Durationator (Limited Times, LLC)


Duration/application of
moral rights unclear
Challenges of foreign
legislation & litigation

Digital age &“sharing”

We need YOU!
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References/For Further Reading
Aaron Schwabach, Reclaiming Copyright from the Outside in: What the Downfall Hitler Meme Means for Transformative Works, Fair Use, and Parody, 8 Buff. Intell. Prop. L.J. 1 (2012).
Adam S. Nelson, Tweet Me Fairly: Finding Attribution Rights Through Fair Use in the Twittersphere, 22 Fordham Intell. Prop. Media & Ent. L.J. 697 (2012).
Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, September 9, 1886, art. 6bis, S. Treaty Doc No. 27, 99th Cong., 2d Sess. 41 (1986).
Dastar Corp. v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., 539 U.S. 23, 123 S. Ct. 2041, 156 L. Ed. 2d 18 (2003).
Elizabeth Adeney, The Moral Rights of Authors and Performers (Oxford Univ. Press 2006).
Elizabeth Townsend Gard & Bri Whetstone, Copyright and Social Media: A Preliminary Case Study of Pinterest, 31 Miss. C. L. Rev. 249 (2012).
Gerald Dworkin, The Moral Right of the Author: Moral Rights and the Common Law Countries, 19 Colum.-VLA J.L. & Arts 229 (1995).
Granz v. Harris, 198 F.2d 585 (2d Cir. 1952).
Joan Pattarozzi, Can the Australian Model Be Applied to U.S. Moral Rights Legislation?, 15 Cardozo J. Int'l & Comp. L. 423 (2007).
Jon M. Garon, Commercializing the Digital Canvas: Renewing Rights of Attribution for Artists, Authors, and Performers, 1 Tex. A&M L. Rev. 837 (2014).
Jon M. Garon, Wiki Authorship, Social Media, and the Curatorial Audience, 1 Harv. J. Sports & Ent. L. 95 (2010).
Joseph M. Beck & Allison M. Scott, Digital-Age Claims for Old-World Rights, 17 J. Intell. Prop. L. 5 (2009).
Kathleen Brennan Hicks, The Right to Say, "I Didn't Write That": Creating A Cause of Action to Combat False Attribution of Authorship on the Internet, 22 J. Intell. Prop. L. 375 (2015).
Kelley v. Chicago Park Dist., 635 F.3d 290 (7th Cir. 2011).
Michael Allyn Pote, Mashed-Up in Between: The Delicate Balance of Artists' Interests Lost Amidst the War on Copyright, 88 N.C. L. Rev. 639 (2010).
Michael Reed, Who Owns Ellen's Oscar Selfie? Deciphering Rights of Attribution Concerning User Generated Content on Social Media, 14 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 564 2015).
Mira T. Sundara Rajan, Creative Commons: America's Moral Rights?, 21 Fordham Intell. Prop. Media & Ent. L.J. 905 (2011).
Moral Rights Infringement and Letter of Demand, Arts Law Centre of Australia (2015), available at http://www.artslaw.com.au/info-sheets/info-sheet/moral-rights-infringement-and-letter-of-demand/.
Peter K. Yu, Moral Rights 2.0, 1 Tex. A&M L. Rev. 873 (2014).
Peter L. Skolnik, Navigating Social Media Copyrights, N.J. Law., October 2013.
Terri Janke & Robynne Quiggin, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property: The Main Issues for the Indigenous Arts Industry in 2006(Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Arts Bd. Austl. Council 2006).
Yong Wan, Moral Rights of Authors in China, 58 J. Copyright Soc'y U.S.A. 455 (2011).
Interested in beta testing?
Contact us:

Thea T. Crane


Email: [email protected] (or [email protected])
Elizabeth Townsend Gard

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Email: [email protected]
http://www.limitedtimes.com/