Understanding Attribution and Integrity

The creator of an original piece of visual art is entitled to claim the exclusive rights of ownership of that work and not have their name associated with any piece of visual art they did not create. Any mutilation or modification that brings down the value or integrity of a piece of original art will no longer be associated with the original creator of that piece of visual art. This is to prevent false attribution from bringing down the honor or reputation of an artist.

Under copyright law, an artist is free from preventing the intentional mutilation or loss of integrity to a piece of their art to purposely bring down an artist's reputation. Intentional acts of that nature are against the law.

Attribution rights extend only to the author of a piece of original work. If a work of art has two authors, they are considered co-owners. Authorship and its exclusive rights extend to both creators. If the copyright is owned by someone other than the creator, the rights of authorship discussed above still belong to the original creators.

The modification of a piece of art can legally take place without attribution given to the original creator of art if it occurs by means of time passing or the natural deterioration of the materials takes place. Modifications to repair the art are not considered mutilations and are not illegal. Usage of lighting that may slightly change the appearance of a work of art is also not considered to be mutilating or altering an original work.

Exclusive rights given to creators of art last for the duration of their lives. If there is more than one creator, the exclusive rights last until the last remaining creator's death. There may be no transfer of rights if an creator chose to do so. However, an creator can make a claim to waive all of their rights to a piece of art.

To no longer accept attribution for a piece of art, an instrument must be signed and information regarding the art must be detailed in the written statement. The art must be clearly identified and the expression to give up attribution must be inserted. A work of art that has more than one creator and is given up by one creator is then given up by all creators.

A waiver of rights does not allow for a transfer of rights to another person. Even the transfer of copyright ownership does not grant the new owner any of the original rights afforded to the original creator. Also, copies of a piece of art do not grant any exclusive rights ownership to an owner of a copied piece of art.

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