Copyright and copyright holder

Copyright may be understood as a form of property. It is an exclusive right which has effect in relation to anybody (right with effect erga omnes). The holder of the copyright is either the author of the work or the successor to whom the rights have been transferred by the original holder. Important copyright holders are the collecting societies. These societies exercise the rights namely in the field of mass use (photocopies, music), where an individual collection of the owed remuneration would practically be impossible.