Copyrights Registration Service

COPYRIGHTS

Copyright is an intellectual property right that provides its owner an exclusive right to reproduce, issue copies, disseminate, sell or rent commercially, or perform a creative work, as the case may be, for a limited period of time. Although, a copyright arises automatically upon creation of a creative work, and is independent of any registration requirements, however, registration of a copyright provides an evidentiary value for subsistence of rights in the name of the owner. Further, registration of copyright acts as a notice of rights to third parties, and also aids in enforcement of rights and entitles the owner in claiming damages in times of infringement of the copyright.

A copyright means the rights to do certain acts, and to prevent third parties from doing such certain acts for creative works including (i) original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works (ii) cinematograph films (iii) sound recordings and (iv) computer programmes. The intent behind protection under copyright is to encourage authors to create new work, and let them enjoy fruits of their labor.

The term of copyright protection in published works is for the life of the author and continues for sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the author dies. In case of joint authors, the term is 60 years after the death of the author who dies last. In case a work is published anonymously or pseudonymously, the copyright subsists for 60 years following its publication, with certain exceptions. For other categories of work such as sound recordings and cinematograph films, the period of protection is 60 years from the date of first publication of the work.