Copyright Ontology

This is the action that consumes the communication of a MakeAvailable, i.e. an OnDemandEvent. Consequently, it is an interactive action from the point of view of the consumer, who is able to determine the time line of the content. Usually, the content is consumed from its beginning and from the time point when the content is accessed. Moreover, the user is usually free to pause, resume, forward and rewind the content. However, all these issues are specific to the technological means used to make the content available, e.g. internet video on-demand streamers. It is important to note that this same features can be enjoyed with non-interactive communications but a recording system at the consumers place is then required.

To Adapt is generally understood as the modification of a Work from one type of Work to another, for example adapting a novel so as to make a motion picture, or the modification of a Work so as to make it suitable for different conditions of exploitation, for example adapting an instructional textbook originally prepared for higher education into an instructional textbook intended for students at a lower level.

An event in which a written or unwritten accord is made between two or more parties.

The motivation of an action.

This is the action corresponding to the consumption of a Perform in a PublicPlace. The object of the action is a Performance which result from a Perform that is held in the same PublicPlace. Therefore, there is a time sharing between the Attend and the corresponding Perform.

When a work is broadcasted, it is made available to a collective through a communication medium. There are two kinds of broadcasting depending on the communication medium. In the first one the medium is the air. A wireless signal is emitted into the air, which can be received by any person, within range of the signal, who possesses the equipment (radio or television receiver) necessary to convert the signal into sounds or sounds and images. In the second one the medium is a cable. A signal is diffused and only persons who possess the required equipment linked to the cables used to diffuse the signal can receive it.

This verb includes any communication to the public of the originals or copies of works, including wire or wireless means and "the making available to the public of works in a way that the members of the public may access the work from a place and at a time individually chosen by them". The quoted expression covers, in particular, on-demand interactive communication through the Internet. On the contrary to Perform, this action just covers all communication to the public not present at the place where the communication originates.

This action is formally known as Reproduce though is more common to use Copy. They are produced from a Manifestation, from a Fixation of a Performance or from another Instance. The result is an Instance that is the item employed for the commercialisation of replicas of works. i.e. when a item is used as the vehicle to make the Work arrive to its consumers. Instances might have a physical support or not, like digital objects.

This correspond to the act changing a work protected by copyright in order to generate a new work. The resulting derivations are themselves works protected by copyright. Derive is thus also a rights generation action, i.e. it causes new rights to arise as a new Work and its first Manifestation are generated as results of the Derive action. The action is required to produce also the first Manifestation of the Work in order to have legal implications. If there is not a Manifestation, the derivation takes part just in the field of ideas, which are not regulated by copyright.

Once Instances of a Work have been produced, they are distributed to the public. Therefore, there is a recipient of the Instance. If the Distribute does not imply a permanent transfer of ownership on the Instance, i.e. on the material support but not on the underlying Work, there is also a duration case role. This is concretised in the Distribute specialisations.

This action directly generates a performance from a work, without a previous manifestation.

Distribute temporarily without requiring significant economic value exchange.

Traditionally communication actions related to the communication right were quite passive from the point of view of the communication consumer. The communicator decided when a concrete work was broadcasted and the consumers had just to the option to get or not access to the communication medium in order to consume the content. Consumers did not have any alternative to time-shift content consumption without the intervention of recording mediums. However, communication mediums that allow user interaction have appeared, among which the Internet is the more important one nowadays. The consequence is a particular kind of communication where members of the public access works from a place and at a time individually chosen by them. This kind of communication is called to MakeAvailable in the copyright context.

One or more authors generate a manifestation from a work at a given place (at least the country for copyright jurisdiction) and time (from legal point of view). In the case of employed authors and works made for hire, the employer, and not the employee, is legally considered the author of the work and becomes the rights holder. Multiple creators are also allowed in order to cope with works realised in collaboration.

An event in which a party makes known the terms on which an agreement may be made.

To perform a work means to recite, render, play, dance, or act it, either directly or by means of any device or process or, in the case of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, to show its images in any sequence or to make the sounds accompanying it audible.

This corresponds to the action of public performance. It is important to note that the performance is considered public when it takes place at a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is involved. Therefore, it will not be considered public when it is performed in a strictly domestic domain.

A place that is public.

Generically, a work is considered fixed when it is stored on some medium in which it can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated. For example, a song is considered fixed when it is written down on paper. The paper is the medium on which the song can be perceived, reproduced and communicated. It is not necessary that the medium be such that a human can perceive the work, as long as the work can be perceived by a machine. Thus, the song is also fixed the moment the author records it onto a cassette tape. From the legal point of view, the fixations that are governed are those that store performances or communications of works that are later exploited. For instance, it can be a recording of a studio performance, which is governed by copyright because this fixation is intended for commercial exploitation.The more important kinds of fixations are sound recordings and motion pictures.

Distribute temporarily with a significant economic value exchange. There is a thus an associated duration.

The ownership of the corresponding physical support or digital object is transferred permanently, there is not a duration. There is a condition, an economic transfer on exchange of which the ownership is transferred.

To express a work in a language other than that of the original version. Therefore, it is possible to just chain the language characteristic from the original Work to the new one.

To express a work in a language other than that of the original version. Therefore, it is possible to just chain the language characteristic from the original Work to the new one.

This is the action that consumes the communication of a Broadcast. Consequently, it is a non-interactive action from the point of view of the consumer. The user just tunes the medium where the content is broadcasted from an appropriate location.

The consumption of copyrighted content by end-users.