Rights that are granted to the authors of literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works and to film directors that allow them to
- be identified as the author of the work or director of the film;
- and to object to derogatory treatment of the work or distortion or mutilation that is prejudicial to the honor or reputation of the author or director.
Moral rights usually do not normally apply to computer programs, articles in newspapers or magazines, reference works (dictionaries or encyclopedias.) In many countries (such as France and Germany) moral rights arise automatically in literary and artistic works and are usually non-assignable; in others such as the U.K., they arise by statute, and in the United States the author must expressly reserve such rights.