Moral rights and their position in the digital world

Abstract

The proliferation of technology and the internet has made moral rights more vulnerable than ever. Although the digital age plays a significant role in disseminating culture to a larger audience, the online environment also comes with a threat to the author’s personal interests. Their “spiritual children” are more easily under attack. However, under international law, moral rights have not been considered duly. The Berne Convention, the TRIPS Agreement, WIPO Internet Treaties, and even EU Harmonize Directives all shy away from the moral rights issue in the “Digital age”. In an era when technology is developing faster than the laws regulating it, the exigency for moral rights development in copyright law must be paid more attention. This paper examines how the internet influences the protection of moral rights and to what extent it has made them more susceptible.