The Author Is Sovereign: A Manifesto for Ethical Copyright in the Age of AI

Abstract: In the age of AI, authorship is being quietly eroded by algorithmic content scraping, legal gray zones like "fair use," and platforms that profit from creative labor without consent or compensation. This short manifesto proposes a radical alternative: a system in which the author is sovereign of their intellectual domain. It presents seven ethical principles that challenge prevailing assumptions about open access, copyright ownership, and the public domain - arguing that voluntary, negotiated consent must replace coercive norms. The text exposes how weakened authorship fuels structural exploitation. In place of reactive solutions, it calls for a new ethic of authorship rooted in consent, dignity, and contractual fairness.