Copyright owners have the sole legal right to: 

• produce or reproduce the work
• perform the work in public 
• publish the work 
• translate the work 
• adapt the work to another format (e.g. novel to film, film to play) 
• record a literary, dramatic or musical work 
• broadcast the work 
• exhibit an artistic work 
• rent out a computer program, or a recording of a musical work 
• sell a work in the form of a tangible object (in certain circumstances) 
• authorize others to do any of these acts 

These are known as economic rights. A copyright owner can license any or all of these rights to another entity (individual or organization) temporarily, or assign (transfer) them to another entity permanently. 

Copyright owners are also entitled to moral rights, which include

• the right of paternity (to claim authorship, remain anonymous or adopt a pseudonym); 
• the right of integrity (to prevent distortion, modification or mutilation of a work); and 
• the right of association (to control activities associated with a work). 

Even if a creator has assigned their copyright in a work to another entity, the creator would continue to hold the moral rights to the work. Moral rights can be waived or bequeathed but cannot be assigned (transferred).

These rights are qualified by certain exceptions which balance the copyright owner’s interests with the public interest in allowing use of works for purposes such as education and research, such as fair dealing.