The notion, origin and development of the copyright

An author is a person who has created a piece of work by his/her own activity. This work can be written in the form of a book, article, belles-lettres or scientific paper. Furthermore, it can be found in the form of a photography, table, musical piece, software program, painting, sculpture ... The act of creation itself is sufficient for the author to acquire the copyright over a particular piece of work. In order this right to be prescribed by legal regulations and contracts being integral parts of today's national legislation in all countries, it had to go a long development path. Today, in most European countries, these rights include both the moral and material aspects. The moral aspect means that the work is attributed to its author, and that nobody has the right, without the author's permission, to change or desecrate it in any other way or to translate it into another language, adapt it for a presentation or use it without citing the author. The material aspect of the usage of such a work means that only the author has the right to multiply his/her work and to acquire a profit. Nowadays, most authors transfer this right to the publishing houses by signing a contract with them. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the reader to the concept, creation and development of the copyright.