The central idea of this theory is that intellectual products are manifestations or extensions of the personalities of their creators. A painter or novelist defines herself in and through her art. The legal system, sensitive to this phenomenon, should grant artists the power to control uses or modifications of their creations. Why exactly? Either because injuries to those creations cause corresponding injuries to the creators – which the law should seek to prevent or redress. Or because giving creators this control is necessary to establish a general social environment in which artists can establish and maintain their identities.
This theory provides especially strong support for the aspects of copyright law known as “moral rights.” We will consider moral rights in detail in Module 4. As you will see, moral rights include a right to be given credit for things you have created (and not to be blamed for things you have not created) and a right to prevent the mutilation or destruction of your creations.