right of first publication
Noun: - A legal right granting the exclusive authority to initially publish and sell a specific creative work: This term refers to the initial copyright or publishing right that gives its holder the sole legal privilege to be the first to publish, reproduce, and distribute a literary, musical, or artistic work for sale.
This term is a formal, legal compound noun. It is used to specify the initial and exclusive publishing entitlement before any other party. - The author sold the right of first publication to the publishing house, allowing them to release the novel. - The contract clearly assigned the right of first publication for the symphony to the music company.
- In legal and publishing contexts: The term is often discussed in contracts involving authors, composers, artists, and publishers. It is a specific subset of the broader bundle of rights that constitute copyright.
- Negotiations stalled over the financial terms for the right of first publication.
- Copyright (n): The broader, more general legal right that gives the creator exclusive rights to use, distribute, and adapt their work, which includes the right of first publication.
- First serial rights (n): A specific type of right of first publication, granting a periodical the right to publish a work (or part of it) before anyone else.
- First publication right
- Initial publishing right
This term is a fixed legal phrase. It is not commonly used in everyday conversation but is standard in publishing, intellectual property law, and artistic contracts. It specifically concerns the first act of making a work available to the public.
- a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work