Skip to Main Content

Copyright, Author's Rights, and Generative AI

What are Author's Rights?

The term "author's rights" refers to the intellectual property rights possessed by the author or creator of a work, which are generally governed under copyright law.

As the author/creator of an original work, you own the copyright to that work as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form (such as print or electronic text or images), which gives you the exclusive right to copy and distribute your work. Specifically, under US copyright law, the owner of the copyright has the following exclusive rights:

  1. The right to copy or reproduce the work in any format, whether digital or analog;
  2. The right to make derivative works (all kinds of adaptations of the work, including translations, revisions, film versions of books, etc.);
  3. The right to control distribution of new (but not used) copies of the work;
  4. The right to perform the work publicly;
  5. The right to display the work publicly.

See: Kernochan Center, Intro to Knowing Your Rights.

Transferring Copyright

In order to publish a book, journal article, or other work, a publisher must obtain the right to distribute your work, which is generally granted via a publication agreement. 

What rights are transferred to the publisher in these agreements can vary widely, including:

  1. A full transfer of copyright;
  2. A partial transfer of copyright, in which the author retains specifically listed rights (such as the rights to reproduce, distribute, and/or publicly perform or display for noncommercial purposes; to prepare derivative works; or to republish the work in the future);
  3. An exclusive or non-exclusive license to reproduce and distribute the work, in which the author retains full copyright.

See: Georgetown University Library, Negotiating Your Contract.

Learn More about Copyright & Author's Rights