Author - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition author

Definition :

Author. This word has not been defined by statute, though the Copyright Act, 1911, says [s. 24 (2)], that for the purposes of that section the word shall include the personal representatives of a deceased author. A translator of a literary work is the 'author' of his translation, Byrne v. Statist Co., (1914) 1 KB 622. As to who is the 'author' of the report of a speech, see Walter v. Lane, 1900 AC 539. The agreement between an author and his publisher is a personal one and is not assignable, Griffith v. Tower Publishing Co., (1897) 1 Ch 21. See Nisbet & Co. v. Golf Agency, (1907) 23 TLR 370, and Evans v. Hulton & Co., (1924) 121 LT 534.

Means-(i) in relation to a literary or dramatic work, the author of the work; (ii) in relation to a musical work, the composer; (iii) in relation to an artistic work other than a photograph, the artist; (iv) in relation to a photograph, the person taking the photograph; (v) in relation to a cinematograph film or sound recording, the producer; and (vi) in relation to any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work which is computer-generated, the person who causes the work to be created. [Copyright Act, 1957 (14 of 1957), s. 2 (d)]