Copyright is designed as the right to an original piece of work owned by an individual. It entitles the copyright holder to exclusively reproduce, perform, distribute and display the work in one medium of expression. The original creator and the person who has obtained the rights to the work can register copyright on the same.
Taking a cue from the English Copyright Act of 1911, the Copyright Act was first enacted in 1914. Once the country gained independence, the Copyright Act, 1957 was enacted and has been amended six times and was amended in the year 2012.
What is copyright?
Defined as the right to an original work owned by a person, a copyright is fixed in a physical medium of expression, thus enabling the holder to reproduce, distribute, perform and display the copyrighted work exclusively .
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The said work can include anything from literature, music, art, photography, cinema/film or even computer programs etc. Unlike a trademark, a copyright consists of only one symbol i.e. ©. The symbol can be placed on the original piece of work that has been created.
Who can register a copyright?
The creator of the work, and the person who obtained the rights to the original work, can register for copyright.
If the said piece was made in the course of employment, it would be called a ‘work made for hire’. In such a case, the employee is not considered the author or creator of the work. That title goes to the employer.
If a work is created by two people, they co-own the copyright, unless the people concerned want it otherwise.
There is no age limit for getting copyright. A minor can also register.
If we had to narrow it down to three basic ones that can apply for copyright, they would be:
- job creator
- any person claiming ownership rights from the creator of the original work
- an agent who has been authorized to act on behalf of the above persons
What does copyright protection do?
It is a form of intellectual property law that protects original works of literature, music, art, photography, cinema/film or even a computer program. Copyright protects most works available in tangible form, including the lyrics of a song, a tune, a picture, a graphics, a sculpture, a piece of architecture, a sound recording, a drama, a choreographed work, a parody, a signature. All of these need to be looked at in more depth to get to the intricate details.
What is not protected by copyright?
There are different categories of work that do not fit the bill for copyright:
Pieces of work that cannot be fixed in a tangible expression, such as unscripted works, improvisational performances, or any other speech/performance that is not written or recorded. Works including title, name, short phrase and slogan; symbols or designs that are familiar to others; Basic typographic nuances, lettering, use of color techniques, content or list of materials. The process of ideas, systems, methods as distinct from the said description, description or illustration. Finally, facts and figures that are common property cannot be registered for copyright. These may include standard calendars, charts of height/weight, information from public documents, and the like.
What are the rights of the copyright owner?
Copyright gives the owner of the work the absolute and exclusive right to:
The owner may choose to reschedule the work and/or authorize someone else
कोई भी व्युत्पन्न कार्य जो मूल कार्य से आता है, कॉपीराइट के स्वामी या अधिकृत व्यक्ति द्वारा किया जाता है
मालिक किसी भी रूप में अपने काम की प्रतियां जनता को वितरित कर सकता है यानी स्वामित्व के हस्तांतरण की बिक्री, काम को किराए पर देना, काम को पट्टे पर देना आदि।
किसी भी कॉपीराइट कार्य को सार्वजनिक रूप से आसानी से किया और प्रदर्शित किया जा सकता है। और अधिकार सभी प्लेटफार्मों पर हैं, साहित्य, संगीत, नाटक, कोरियोग्राफी, सिनेमा, फिल्म, ऑडियो विजुअल काम करता है
कॉपीराइट पंजीकरण के लिए कदम
चरण 1: आवेदन दाखिल करना
अपेक्षित शुल्क के साथ, एक आवेदन को डीडी / आईपीओ में जमा करना होगा। एक बार जब यह आवेदन दायर किया जाता है, तो एक डायरी संख्या उत्पन्न होती है और आवेदक को जारी की जाती है।
चरण 2: परीक्षा
किसी भी आपत्तियों को रिकॉर्ड करने और उनका विश्लेषण करने के लिए 30 दिनों का न्यूनतम इंतजार करना होता है जो कॉपीराइट आवेदन के खिलाफ आ सकता है।
- अनापत्ति के मामले में:
आवेदन एक परीक्षक द्वारा जांच के लिए आगे बढ़ता है। यह जांच दो विकल्पों को जन्म देती है:
- जांच के दौरान पाई गई विसंगति के मामले में:
आवेदक को विसंगति का पत्र भेजा जाता है।
आवेदक के उत्तर के आधार पर, रजिस्ट्रार कथित विसंगति पंक्ति की सुनवाई करता है
एक बार सुनवाई के दौरान विसंगतियों को हल करने के बाद, उसी का निष्कर्ष आवेदक को उसके / उसके पास कॉपीराइट के लिए भेजा जाता है
- शून्य विसंगति के मामले में:
इसका मतलब यह होगा कि कॉपीराइट एप्लिकेशन कॉपीराइट के लिए आवश्यक सभी मानदंडों को पूरा करता है। फिर आवेदक को उसी के पंजीकरण के साथ आगे बढ़ने की अनुमति दी जाती है।
(यदि पंजीकरण स्वीकृत नहीं है, तो आवेदक को अस्वीकृति पत्र प्राप्त हुआ)
- दायर की गई आपत्ति के मामले में:
जब हमे परिदृश्य के ऊपर ‘कोई आपत्ति नहीं है ’ सूचीबद्ध होते हैं, तो यदि किसी को आपत्ति का सामना करना पड़ता है, तो निम्नलिखित कार्यवाही होती है:
The officials will send letters to both the concerned parties and tries to persuade them to withdraw the objection.
After the requisite reply from the third party, the Registrar holds the hearing.
The process takes shape depending on whether the registrar accepts the answer or not
- If the application is accepted:
The application being accepted means that the objection has been rejected. The application proceeds for scrutiny by an examiner. This inquiry gives rise to two options:
- In case of discrepancy found during verification:
A letter of discrepancy is sent to the applicant and the letter is sent to the applicant.
Based on the applicant’s reply, the Registrar conducts a hearing on the line of alleged discrepancy.
Once the discrepancies are resolved during the hearing, extracts of the same are sent to the applicant to register the copyright with him/her.
- In case of zero discrepancy:
This would mean that the copyright application fulfills all the criteria required for copyright. Then the applicant is allowed to proceed with the registration of the same. (If registration is not approved, applicant received rejection letter)
- If the application is rejected:
If this happens, the applicant receives a rejection letter which marks the end of the copyright process.
Step 3: Registration
As can be seen from the above steps, registration only depends on the registrar. Once everything is cleared from the registrar’s end, the applicant gets the copyright and can legally exercise all the rights that come with owning that copyright.
Copyright is a form of intellectual property law. It is registered to protect original pieces of work such as music, art, literature, cinema/film, photography or computer programs. There are in-depth categories that can be registered for copyright by creators. This will give exclusive and absolute rights to the creator of the work.
