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Your Rights on IRC
As an ordinary user (ie not a channel op, admin or ircop) you have no rights.
OK, so that sounds a little strong but it is true and is something which is often forgotten by the users (and which is sometimes taken too far by the IRCops).
The mast majority of IRC servers are private computer systems and the owners of these systems can run them as they wish to do so. This means they or any one of the admins/IRCops can kill/kline you for any reason they wish, even if it's just becuase they don't like you, and you can't do anything about it.
The same thing applies to channels themselves. The owner of the channel can run it in any way they wish, even if it seems unfair to you. For example, #linux on irc-2.mit.edu often kicks out users whose only 'offense' is to use Microsoft Chat. This seems unfair but they can do that if they wish, and in fact in this case there is a good reason (#linux is a linux channel, if you are using MS Chat then 99 times out of 100 you won't be interested in linux).
Strictly speaking IRC is a dictatorship, however 99% of the servers are not run in this way - simply because if they were they wouldn't have many users. The rules are there to protect the users, both from the IRCops and from other users. A lot of this depends on how 'good' the IRCops are - whether they are power-crazed megalomaniacs (no names mentioned ;)) or people who will listen and make sensible decisions.
Usually the users' (and IRCops' rights) are defined in server/network policy and usually over-rule the "you have no rights" and give all users some rights.
For example, users on irc-2.mit.edu/irc.epix.net have the right to be able to chat without being harassed or abused by other users and the IRCops may or may not intervene (they have the right both do to something or not to do anything depending on their analysis of the situation).
You can find the MIT/EPIX policy on the official site here. For examples of what not to think, click here
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