What rights do you have as a copyright holder?

Copyright holders hold 6 basic rights: reproduction, adaptation, distribution, public performance, public display, and digital transmission of sound recordings (Simpson, 2005).

• As Simpson explains, reproduction of a work is the basic right in regards to copyright. Reproducing parts of a work, or creating something very similar to the original, could still lead to copyright infringement (p. 17).
• Adaptation is the process of changing a work. For example, if you write a book, and it is turned into a play, you as the copyright holder still have ownership of the play. Adaptation of a work is a common occurrence in the school systems, as teachers may ask students to write a new ending to a story, create a play of a story, or use a character to write a new story. While these activities are not illegal, the works would belong to the original copyright owner (p. 17).
• As a copyright holder, one would have the right to distribute their material as he or she sees fit. (p. 17)
• Any type of public performance of a work is under the direction of the copyright owner. This could include a “work of film, video, dance, theatre, music, etc.” (p. 19). Public is defined as a group of people outside of your immediate family and friends. (p 19-20)
• A copyright holder has the right to display or not display the works they created. (p. 20)
• The newest right of copyright holders is the right to the digital transmission of sound recordings. This protects record companies from having audio copied illegally.(p. 20)

Simpson, C. (2005). Copyright for schools: A practical guide. (4th ed.). Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Publishing, Inc.