When Art Becomes Free: Inverse Moral Rights as a Guardian of a Truly Liberal Society and Economy

In this paper I argue that just as there are moral rights in copyright law, which secure attribution and integrity, so too, there should be ‘inverse’ moral rights that can protect artists from being impelled or compelled to create in the first place. This research comes against the backdrop of one of the most contentious issues in the Western world today, that pertaining to same-sex marriage. But the discussion applies to all other fields where creativity finds itself in the cross fire in hotly contested issues. In my view, the inverse moral rights are a true reflection of the extent of liberalism. I contend that absent inverse moral rights, liberalism itself will decline which in time will detract from a healthy economy. Ultimately, society at large will lose.