Can you abandon copyright?

[Ian Grigg]

> I think there might be a confusion in the use of language here.

Yes, copyright is distinct form moral rights (which as someone
pointed out is the english language term rather than creator's
rights).

> It seems quite possible to abandon a copyright.

Yes, copyrights are completely assignable AFAIK.  Moral rights
are not assignable at all.

...
> I just read where the author's rights that do exist in current U.S. law are
> viewed by some as distinct from copyright, and it would seem that they work
> independently from abandonment of copyright.

Yes, in that "author's rights" appears to be a synonym for
moral rights.  US Courts and legislation do not support the
concept.  There is significant US case law rejecting the concept
(IANAL, but I read all these summaries on some US legal site).

However, it is important to be clear that moral rights and
copyright are two different animals.

iang