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How Freelancers Can Protect Their Right of Attribution and Publicity

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  1. Understand the difference between publicity rights and moral rights

    The right of publicity (or likeness rights) protects your face or image from being captured or published without consent, while moral rights cover a creator's right to attribution and to object to distortion of their own work -- these are separate protections.

  2. Secure your right of attribution

    Ask in writing to have your name or professional alias credited on the finished work, such as "Design by [Name]," rather than assuming it will happen automatically.

  3. Check the clause on altering your work

    Confirm whether there is a limit on how much the client can distort or modify your work in ways that misrepresent your original intent, or agree in advance on how much editing is acceptable.

  4. Know the process if your rights are violated

    If your name is left off the work, it is altered without permission, or your likeness is misused, start by formally requesting a correction, and escalate to a copyright mediation or dispute-resolution body in your country if the client does not respond.

Protecting your name and image is on you

Even after commercial rights to a finished piece transfer to a client, your right to be credited and your right over your own image are typically treated as separate, personal protections. Asking for attribution and limits on alteration up front, at the contract stage, is what actually prevents violations later.

Sensitive projects deserve a separate written release

Whenever a project involves a real person's face or voice -- yours or someone else's -- treat the likeness release as its own document with its own scope and expiration, rather than folding it loosely into the main service agreement.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I transfer economic rights to a client, do my moral rights transfer too?

No -- moral rights are generally treated as personal to the creator and non-transferable by law, though a contract can sometimes include an agreement not to exercise them in certain situations.

Is it a contract violation if my name is left off the finished work?

If the contract never explicitly requested an attribution credit, this can be a gray area, so if credit matters to you, it is best to write that requirement into the contract clearly at the outset.