What is Copyright?
Controlling the rights for the use and the distribution of specific creative works and digital content is referred to as copyright in law. In layman’s words, copyrighting is the process of safeguarding one’s original work. Historically, copyright laws have been put in place to strike a balance between authors of works of art, literature, music, and the like who want to monetize their creations by limiting who can make and sell copies of their work, and cultures who want to use and reuse creative works to create “copyright work.”
It might be beneficial to think of these rights as a bunch of sticks, with each stick standing for one of these rights, to better understand how they can be used or leased. The owner of the copyright has the option of keeping each “stick” for themselves, giving them to one or more individuals individually, or giving them all to one or more persons collectively. In essence, copyright gives the owner the freedom to decide how to make his or her works accessible to the public.
Through the grant of intellectual property rights, the copyright’s main goal is to encourage and compensate writers for producing new works and making those works accessible to the general public for enjoyment. According to the argument, giving artists certain exclusive rights that enable them to safeguard their creative works from theft.
Although it’s crucial to realize that copyright law does not require authors to make their protected works accessible, it does serve the goal of enhancing the wider public through the availability of artistic content.
The Copyright Act
In India, copyright law is governed by the Copyright Act 1957, as modified. The Act is effective as of January 21, 1958. India’s history with copyright laws dates back to the British Empire’s colonial rule. The Copyright Act of 1957 was India’s first copyright law following independence, and six amendments have been made since then. The Copyright (Amendment) Act 2012, which was passed in 2012, was the most recent amendment. The majority of significant international treaties controlling the field of copyright law, including the Rome Convention of 1961, the Universal Copyright Convention of 1951, and the Contract on Trade-Related Aspects of cognitive Property Rights, are signed and ratified by India (TRIPS). India originally declined to sign up for the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), but the treaty was ultimately signed in 2013
Additionally, the 1999 International Copyright Order was approved by the Indian government. This Order accords the same status to works that were initially published in any nation that is a signatory to any of the aforementioned agreements as if they were published in India. The Indian Copyright Act, 1847, passed by the British during the reign of the East India Company, was India’s first copyright legislation and was intended to implement English copyright regulations there. It was replaced by the Copyright Act of 1911, which also extended to other British territories, including India.
It was further changed once again in 1914 by the Indian Copyright Act, 1914, which continued in effect in India until the Copyright Act, 1957, was adopted by the parliament of independent India. According to the Copyright Act of 1957, the owner has the negative rights to forbid others from using his works in specific ways and to seek compensation for the usurpation of that right. This Act grants the owner two different kinds of rights: economic and moral.
How does Copyright registration Help you?
For the reasons listed, the copyright holder must promptly register a work:
- The ability to impose copyrights through the filing of a copyright infringement case: The registration certificate is one of the prime proofs that the creative expression is original and belongs to the person who registered it as a copyrighted work. If the owner of the copyright seeks to get a preliminary injunction against a copyright infringement, this document is crucial and necessary.
If you wish to safeguard your work from unlawful usage, or piracy then copyright registration is important as copyright registration works as a prima facie evidence at the time of filing a copyright infringement complaint. Though the copyright holder can file a lawsuit for copyright violation if the work has still not been legally registered but a Registration Certificate works as a major and important proof of ownership and one can assert that they originated the work.
- Letting others know who owns what: In copyright disagreements, ownership is usually in question. Even if the alleged infringer denies authorship, the owner of the copyrights must demonstrate his rightful ownership of the rights to succeed in a copyright infringement lawsuit. A public record of the owner of a copyright is created via copyright registration. The registration record may also be helpful if a potential violator is considering utilizing the work without authorization while dishonestly attempting to register a copyright claim for himself/herself.
- Legal evidence of possession and ownership: The capacity to inform the public that a piece of work is owned by a certain person is the copyright registration’s most significant advantage. The second most significant advantage is the subsequent legal validity it offers from a legal standpoint. Copyright registration will defend the original owner if an unauthorized third party remixes or disseminates a work protected by the copyright. Additionally, the Copyright Act still supports the copyright holder’s position if they only just show that the infringer had access to the raw source and that their creations are comparable as evidence of originality.
- There are no ongoing fees or registration renewals: You do not have to keep paying recurrent payments to renew a copyright registration because it has lifelong validity. When making modifications to the details of the assets, the person must yet go to the Registrar of Copyright.
- Elimination of financial losses: Copyright registration has a lot of advantages for the authors or the owners of the original works. Limiting losses brought on by the duplication of the original work is one of the certain benefits of copyright protection. The definition of piracy is simple; it is used to describe the violation of copyright registration. In India, the majority of people are familiar with this phrase because it is regularly used in conjunction with physical goods.
- When addressing infringement issues, copyright registration also specifies the period of publication of the work. One of the most important things when a lawsuit for infringement is filed is to determine when the invention was first registered and when the alleged infringement first occurred.
- A copyright registration permits the owner to demand compensation and royalties when a trademark’s work is translated, modified, or changed. Utilization of the remixed songs in music videos is common. Nowadays, YouTube is where copyright is most frequently used when artists steal from one another and it is important to prove who originally owns the work.
- Exports and imports of copyrighted works are made easier by copyright registration. When the owner of creation is specified, hence it facilitates the process of importing and exporting in a lot simpler or hassle-free way.
- Copyright guarantees a minimum level of protection for writers’ rights over their works, fostering and fostering innovation. Since creativity is the foundation of development, no civilized society can disregard the necessity of fostering it. Creativity is a necessary component of a society’s economic and social development.
The Takeaway
The protection is provided for 60 years by the Copyright Act of 1957. The moral right of an author as a right against deformation is applicable even after the period of copyright has expired, taking into consideration the requirements of the act and the norms formed therewith. Copyright guarantees a minimum level of protection for writers’ rights over their works, fostering and fostering innovation. Copyright holders must evaluate and identify the different forms of infringement and protect their cognitive property through the methods which are provided by the statute.
India has robust and efficient copyright protection that can safeguard the concerned person’s copyright. The protection covers both the classic meaning of copyright as well as its contemporary use. Thus, even if they are not explicitly stated, online copyright concerns are equally well covered. The judiciary should actively participate in defending these rights, especially the copyright because the nation has such a solid and robust legal framework for their protection.
Naseem Sheikh is a trademark enthusiastic and he is a member of Bar Council of Delhi, Bar Council of India.