Authors and their heirs as special categories of rights holders

The article analyzes the differences in the legal regulation of the issues of origin and protection of the rights of authors and their heirs in comparison with the provisions established for other categories of rights holders. The author notes that the legislation of many countries now laid the foundation for the differentiation of the rights of authors as "primary" rights holders and their heirs as "successors" of the author's personality, in respect of which there is always a certain personal element to the work, and the rights of other rights holders, whose interests are assumed to be concentrated exclusively in the property sphere. The author of the article justifies the need for consistent identification of authors of works and their heirs as special subjects belonging to a separate category of rights holders, which will contribute to the consolidation of general principles and unified guarantees of the rights of authors in respect of their works.

author, work, exclusive right, owner, heirs of the author, disposal of exclusive right, copyright protection