Indian Copyright Act 1957

Introduction 

Copyright is a legal right that protects original works of literature, art, music, films, and computer programs, among others, in India. 

It safeguards expressions of ideas rather than the ideas themselves. The owner of a copyright has exclusive rights to adapt, reproduce, publish, translate, and communicate the work to the public. 

• The act has undergone several revisions since it was first passed in 1958. The most recent amendment was in 2012.

Key Sections 

• Section 2: Deals with various definitions of the work which can be covered under the definition of copyright. 
  • For example, Section 2(o) deals with literary works, Section 2(h) includes all dramatic works under the definition of copyright protection. 
• Section 13: Provides copyright protection to literary works, musical works, dramatic works, cinematographic films, and sound recordings, among others. 
• Section 14: Grants the copyright owner a set of exclusive rights such as adapting, reproducing, publishing, translating, and communicating the work to the public. 
  • No one can exercise these rights unless they have the permission of the copyright owner.

Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2021  

• Brought into effect to align copyright laws with other relevant legislations. 
• Aim to enhance accountability and transparency in the collection and distribution of royalties. 
• The Copyright Board has been merged with the Appellate Board. 
• Compliance requirements for software registration have been simplified. 
• Applicants may file first 10 and last 10 pages of the source code, or the entire code if under 20 pages, with no redactions. 
• The Central Government must respond within 180 days to an application for registration as a copyright society.