Intellectual Property Rights under the Copyright System: Theoretical Approach

Intellectual rights are granted to the author under the literary and artistic property rights whereby the authors can claim the authorship of the work, protect the integrity, and prevent any distortion or modification of the work. Contrary to material rights that support the financial interest of the author, intellectual rights support the character of the author. It is believed that intellectual rights were introduced in countries that confirmed the copyright system such as France and Germany. Historical antecedents, however, prove the opposite assumption. The intellectual right was discussed for the first time in the second half of the 18th century within the investigation of two important cases in Britain where this right was recognized as the origin of the copyright system. The copyright approach to intellectual property rights has resulted from the historical, cultural, incentive, and utilitarianism factors. This approach differs from the author’s rights system. Countries that follow the copyright system used to support the intellectual rights of the author by using some methods such as mutilation or defamation relying on the contract provisions before joining the Berne Convention. These countries are still using the same methods in courts to support intellectual rights according to Article 6 of the Berne Convention after joining it. This study was conducted to investigate the background and basis of intellectual property rights under the copyright system. Besides, this paper examines factors affecting the copyright approach and methods to protect the intellectual rights of the author.