The article defines the subjects of the right to publish works of science, literature, art. The characteristics of the right to publish the work, the possibility to refer it to the personal non-property rights of the author are considered. The grounds to publish the work by various subjects are analyzed. The reason is that the right to publish the work is not transferred by the author to the other subjects, but is an autonomous right by virtue of the exclusive right to work. The article considers the conditions of lawful disclosure of a work by persons who are not the author of the work. It is noted that the transfer of the author’s exclusive right to an unpublished work of science, literature, and art under the contract indicates his consent to the publication of the work. The right to make a work publicly available also applies to subjects who have legally acquired the exclusive right to a work by law. It is argued that all subjects who have the right to publish a work have the right to defense if this right is violated.