Copyright was created to serve the public interest by promoting culture, creativity, and to support education by giving copyright creators limited control over their work so they could profit and make more works. Creators are also given moral rights which can be waived, but cannot be licensed, sold, or given away. Moral rights include the right to be identified as a work's creator (or to remain anonymous) and to protect one's honour and integrity in how a work is treated and what it's associated with. 

Along with owner rights, the Copyright Act creates equally important user rights (such as fair dealing) that support the purpose of copyright (upholding the public interest by supporting free speech, education, access to information, and cultural creativity). User rights form an active part in the dissemination and promotion of information, art and literature, and are a necessary part of copyright law. This means that owner rights are not unlimited, which is why educational users can use copyright protected works in many cases without permission, license, or payment.