Copyright is the legal protection that applies to novel original works, a type of intellectual property that prohibits unauthorised accessing, copying, redistribution of these works. Copyright is implicit and applies automatically (you do not have to apply for copyright as you would a patent). It continues to apply for 70 years after the originator’s death. The term “Author Rights” is just another name for copyright.
In most circumstances though, an author will be required to transfer this protection to the publisher as part of the publication workflow. Traditionally this copyright transfer was necessary to protect the revenue stream required to cover the costs associated with printing and distribution costs. The continuance of copyright transfer agreements may be questionable in the Internet age but they still persist in the majority of cases, and almost all where a subscription model is used.
In certain circumstances copyright does not apply. These exceptions are typically classified as:
Irish Government resources related to copyright & intellectual property: