Who owns copyright and how does copyright benefit creators, rights holders(s), consumers, society, economy and culture as a whole?

Irish copyright law in general recognises that the author of a copyright work is entitled to expect that copyright in a work will first vest in the author. Irish law allows that author in whom copyright vests to deal freely in that work by sale or licence of the copyright and to dispose of the copyright in a will. In a practical sense, a rights holder may allow free use to others by licences or declarations that he or she will not seek to assert copyright ownership. The Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000 (CRRA 2000) contains a number of mechanisms to offset ownership rights with access and free use rights for educational establishments, researchers, students, etc.