Module 4

Part 1: Copyrights and Related Rights

Part 2: Trademarks
Copyrights and Related Rights
• Copyright – legal rights provided by law to the original
creator of the work in the fields of literature and computer
software.
• Related Rights – encompass the author‘s work in the fields
of dramatics, sound recording, film/video recordings,
paintings, architecture, etc.
• Copyrights and Related Rights are one of the categories of
IP and governed by the Copyright Act, 1957 of India.
• Provides rights of reproduction, communication to the
masses, adaptation and translation of the work.
• ‘author’ – individual who develops the content. writer,
computer programmer, composer, producer, photographer.
• ‘work’ – task undertaken in the fields of literature, dramas,
music, artistic, cinematograph film and sound recording.
 Classes of Copyrights
• Literature: Books, Essays, Research articles, Oral speeches, Lectures, Compilations,
Computer programme, Software, Databases.
• Dramatics: Screenplays, Dramas.
• Sound Recordings: Phonogram and a CD-ROM.
• Artistic: Drawing, Painting, Logo, Map, Chart, Photographs, Work of Architecture,
Engravings, and Craftsmanship.
• Musical: Musical notations, excluding any words or any action intended to be
sung, spoken or performed with the music. A musical work need not be written
down to enjoy Copyright protection.
• Cinematograph Films: visual recording performed by any medium, formed
through a process and includes a sound recording. For example, Motion Pictures,
TV Programmes, Visual Recording, Sound Recording, etc.
Criteria for Copyright
• Work must exist in some physical (or
tangible) form
• Duration of the existence of the physical form
may vary
• Any form of expression which can be viewed
or listened to is eligible to qualify as
Copyright
• Hurriedly scribbled notes for an impromptu
speech are considered copyrightable material
• Work has to be original - Original Work of
Authorship (OWA)
 Ownership of
Copyright
• Person who created the work - first To obtain permission to use copyrighted
holder of the Copyright. material, a request for the same should be
made to the legal owner mentioning the
• In case the author is an employee following:
and has been contracted to do the • Title, author and/or editor, and edition.
work by a proprietor - owner of the
• Precise material to be used.
Copyright shall be the proprietor.
• The number of copies.
• The government will be the primary
owner of the government work in • The purpose of the material e.g.
educational, research, etc.
the absence of any kind of
arrangement. • Form of distribution e.g. hard copy to
classroom, posted on the internet.
• The person delivering a speech is the
• Whether the material is to be sold e.g. as
first owner of the Copyright. part of a course pack.
Copyrights of the Author
• content (i.e. work) created by the author cannot be used or published by
anyone without the author‘s consent.
• exclusive rights to the author in the areas of publication, distribution, and
usage.
• Copyright owner enjoys two types of rights i.e. Economic Rights (or
Proprietary Rights) and Moral Rights (or Personal Rights).
• As per the Act, Copyright owners can authorize or prohibit:
• Reproduction of the work in any form, including printed publications or sound
recordings.
• Distribution of copies of the work.
• Public performance of the work.
• Broadcasting/communicating the work to the public.
• Translating the work into other languages.
• Adaptation of the work, such as converting a novel into a screenplay.
Moral Rights include ‘Right of Paternity‘ and ‘Right of Integrity‘.
• The ‘Right of Paternity‘ - even if the Copyright has been licensed to
another party, the original author of the work retains the right to
claim authorship i.e. the name of the author/s will remain even
though Copyrights have been transferred to another party e.g. a book
publisher.
• The ‘Right of Integrity‘- the original author has the right to prevent
misuse of the work e.g. alterations/additions/ deletions in work
resulting in misrepresentation of the said work or harming the honor
and reputation of the author.
Copyright Infringements
As per the Copyrights Acts, 1957, the following acts are regarded as an
infringement of Copyrights:
• Making copies for sale or hire or selling or letting them for hire
without permission.
• Permitting any place for the performance of owned work (in public)
where such performance constitutes an infringement of Copyright.
• Distributing infringing copies for trade or to such an extent to affect
the interest of the owner of the Copyright prejudicially.
• Public exhibition of infringing copies for trade purposes.
• Importation of infringing copies.
• Translating a work without the permission of the owner.
Liability of Owner of an Auditorium/Hall
• The owner of an auditorium/hall
is liable for punishment if he
knowingly allows his premises to
be used for communication of
illegal copyright material (songs,
music, dramas, etc.) to the public.
Copyright Infringement is a Criminal
Offence
• if any person knowingly infringes the Copyright, he qualifies for the
criminal offence.
• The punishment awarded for the infringement (of Copyright) is
imprisonment for six months with the minimum fine of ₹50,000/-.
• In case of a second and subsequent conviction, the minimum
punishment is imprisonment for one year and a fine of ₹ 1,00,000.
• There is a dedicated IP division to deal with Copyright cases.
• Also, there is a Copyright Board constituted by the Central Government
in 1958 to adjudicate certain claims about Copyright.
• Copyright Infringement is a Cognizable Offence – A police officer (rank
of a sub-inspector or higher) can confiscate the infringed Copyright
material without issuing a warrant and produce the same in the court
Fair Use Doctrine
Limited use of Copyrighted materials for teaching and research purposes is
legally permitted, under ‘The Fair Use Doctrine‘, which comprises of the four-
part test:
• The character of the use - use of the work is purely educational, non-profit
and personal.
• Nature of the work - The use of work is factual in nature and not
imaginative.
• Amount of the portion to be used - permission is not needed if only a small
portion of Copyright protected material is to be used. However, this
parameter is debatable now.
• Impact of use on the value of the Copyrighted material - If a small portion
of the work is copied and is not affecting the author‘s economic and moral
rights, it will be excused from the infringement.
Few examples of Fair use doctrine are listed below:
• If the Copyrighted work is used for personal use i.e. studies
or research.
• Quotation mentioned in the Copyrighted work.
• Reporting of current events in the media, such as
newspapers, magazines or radios/television.
• Reproduction of the work by teachers or scientific
researchers.
• Performance is free of charge by government officials in the
performance of their duties
• Use of any work prepared by the Secretariat of a
Legislature.
• Use of the work in a certified copy made or supplied in
accordance with any law for the time being in force.
• Making three or less than three copies of a book (including
a pamphlet, sheet of music, map, chart or plan).
Copyrights and Internet
• era of digitization.
• The Copyrighted data is quickly transmitted via the internet.
• One should be careful of Copyright/fair use principles when
downloading material from the internet.
• material may have been placed on the internet without the author‘s
permission.
• posting material on the internet by the Copyright owner gives an
internet user the right to use that material for his personal use
Non-Copyright Work
The works not under the jurisdiction of Copyrights are as follows:
• The ideas, concepts, and principles themselves cannot be protected under Copyright
• Facts, such as scientific or historical discoveries, are not copyright protected. Any fact a
person discovers in the course of research cannot be Copyright protected.
• Copyright does not protect titles, names, slogans, short phrases, short word
combinations, methods, or factual information.
• Certificates are not considered as Copyrightable subject matter as there is not much
scope for creativity.
• Digitally created works and Copyrighted works transformed into a digital format and
placed on the internet are Copyright protected.
• The Copyright registration for a website, as a whole, is not possible. However, different
components/rudiments of a website
• If someone swipes your picture/song/video from the internet and uses it for their
purposes, it is a Copyright infringement.
Copyright Registration
• It is not necessary to register a work to claim Copyright.
• Once a work is created via any medium, the work receives automatic
Copyright safety.
• There is no formal request to be submitted to the office of the Copyright, for
acquiring Copyright.
• Copyright registration does not confer any rights.
• It is merely a prima facie proof of an entry in respect of the work in the
Copyright register maintained by the Registrar of Copyrights.
• The certificate of registration serves as prima facie evidence in a court in
cases of disputes relating to ownership or creation of Copyright, financial
matters, transfer of rights, etc.
• It is advisable that the author of the work registers for Copyright for better
legal protection.
Judicial Powers of the Registrar of
Copyrights
• Summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and
examining him on oath.
• Requiring the discovery and production of any document.
• Receiving evidence on affidavit.
• Issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses or documents.
• Requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or
office.
• Any other matters which may be prescribed.
Flow chart for the process of Copyright
registration
Fee Structure
Copyright Symbol
• It is not necessary to place the Copyright symbol © with your name and ‘year created‘
near your published or printed materials - but if you do, it‘s easier to nail someone for
infringement on your Copyright if you go to court. The important things which may be
mentioned as a Copyright mark on Copyright creation are:
• The Copyright symbol © (the letter C in a circle), or the word. ‘Copyright‘, or the
abbreviation ‘Copr.‘
• In the case of compilations or derivative works incorporating previously published
material, the year with the date of the first publication of the compilation or derivative
work should be mentioned. The year date may be omitted for pictorial, graphic,
sculptural work, greeting cards, postcards, stationery, jwellery, dolls and toys.
• The name or the abbreviation by which the name can be recognized of the owner of the
Copyright, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner can be mentioned.
• The elements for sound recordings generally require the same three elements, except
the symbol is ℗ (the letter P in a circle) instead.
Validity of Copyright
• In general, the validity of Copyright is for 60 years. This period starts
either from the year after the death of the author (in case of
literature, dramatic, musical and artistic works)
• from the date of publication of the work (in case of cinematograph
films, sound recordings, photographs, posthumous publications,
works of government and works of international organizations).
Copyright Profile of India
• A comparative five years (2015-20)
study revealed a gradual increase in
the number Copyright applications in
the first four years of the study, with a
maximum number of applications
• The number of applications examined
was maximum (34,388) in 2017-18.
• However, it tapered down to 22,658
in 2018-19 and 19,460 in 2019 20.
• A similar trend was observed in the
number of Copyright registrations,
with a peak (19,997) observed in
2017-18.
Copyright and the word ‘Publish’
• A work is considered published when it is in the public domain on an
unrestricted basis. For example, a person writes an article called ‗Life in
Himalayas‘ and distributes it to a few individuals and/or
societies/organizations with a restriction not to disclose the contents of
the article. ‘Life in Himalayas‘ has not been “published” in the Copyright
sense.
• If the author removes the condition of non disclosure or posts of this
article on the internet (i.e. public domain), it would be considered as
published.
• It is to be noted that both published and unpublished works can be
registered under Copyright.
Transfer of Copyrights to a Publisher
• The original authors of the Copyrighted work may not have the wherewithal to
widely publicise their work.
• Usually, they transfer their rights to publishers for financial benefits, which
could be a one-time lump sum amount or royalties or a combination of the
two.
• However, transferring Copyrights unconditionally to the publishers (or
anybody else) may have some repercussions for the owner of the Copyright.
• A publisher may prevent author/s from displaying their articles on the
institute‘s websites.
• The new owner of Copyright may not even allow the author to revise his work.
• In other instances, a publisher might print an insufficient number of hard
copies and also does not show interest in uploading the soft copy of the work
on the internet.
• one must be careful in signing an agreement with the publishers.
• The author may not transfer all the legal rights bestowed upon him as
an author.
• An agreement may be signed permitting only the print and sale of
hard copies by the publishers while retaining digital rights for the said
work.
• An author may also put a time limit for the printing and sale of the
books/articles, etc.
• Even though the author has completely and exclusively licensed out
his work, the Copyright Act has a provision under ‘termination of
transfer’ to reclaim his Copyright.
• Under this provision, certain Copyright agreements can be terminated
after 35 years of the agreement.
Copyrights and the Word ‘Adaptation’
In the world of Copyright, the word ‗Adaptation‘ signifies the creation
of a similar work based upon contemporary work. The Copyright Act
defines the following actions as adaptations:
• Transformation of a dramatic work into a non-dramatic work.
• Changing a literary or artistic work into a drama.
• Re-arrangement of a literary or dramatic work.
• Depiction through pictures of a literary or dramatic work.
• The making of a cinematograph film of a literary or dramatic or
musical work.
Copyrights and the Word ‘Indian Work’
‘Indian work‘ means a literary, dramatic
or musical work provided
• The author of the work is an Indian
citizen.
• The work is first published in India.
• In the case of an unpublished work, at
the time of the making of the work,
the author of the work was a citizen of
India.
Joint Authorship
• ‘Work of Joint Authorship‘ means
a work produced by the
collaboration of two or more
authors in which the contribution
of one author is not distinct from
the contribution of the other
author or authors
Copyright Society
Copyright Society is a registered collective administration society
formed by authors and other owners of the Copyright. Society can
perform the following functions:
• Keep track of all the rights and infringements related to their clients.
• Issue licences in respect of the rights administered by the society.
• Collect fees in pursuance of such licences.
• Distribute such fees among owners of Copyright after making
deductions for the administrative expenses.
A Copyright Society can be formed by a group of seven or more
copyright holders. The term of registration of a Copyright Society is for
five years. The registered Copyright Societies in India are:
• Society for Copyright Regulation of Indian Producers for Film and
Television (SCRIPT) 135 Continental Building, Dr. A.B. Road, Worli,
Mumbai 400 018, (for cinematograph and television films).
• The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRSL), 208, Golden
Chambers, 2nd Floor, New Andheri Link Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai-
400 058 (for musical works).
• Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) Flame Proof Equipment
Building, B.39, Off New Link Road, Andheri (West), Mumbai 400 053
(for sound recordings).
Copyright Board
The Copyright Board is a regulatory body constituted by the government, to
perform judicial functions as per the Copyright Act of India. The Board
comprises of a Chairman and members (2-14) to arbitrate on Copyright cases.
The Chairman of the Board is of the level of a judge of a High Court. As per the
Act, the Board has the power to:
• Hear appeals against the orders of the Registrar of Copyrights.
• Hear applications for rectification of entries in the Register of Copyrights.
• Adjudicate upon disputes on the assignment of Copyrights.
• Grant compulsory licences to publish or republish works (in certain
circumstances).
• Grant compulsory licence to produce and publish a translation of a literary or
dramatic work in any language after seven years from the first publication of
the work.
• Hear and decide disputes as to whether a
work has been published or about the
date of publication or the term of
Copyright of a work in another country.
• Fix rates of royalties in respect of sound
recordings under the cover-version
provision.
• Fix the resale share right in original copies
of a painting, a sculpture or a drawing and
original manuscripts of a literary or
dramatic or musical work.
Copyright Enforcement Advisory Council
(CEAC)
• In 1991, the Government set up a CEAC to review the progress of
enforcement of the Copyright Act periodically and advise the
Government regarding measures for improving the enforcement of
the Act.
• The term of the CEAC is three years.
• The CEAC is reconstituted periodically after the expiry of the term.
International Copyright Agreements,
Conventions and Treaties
Copyright laws are territorial by nature. To secure protection to Indian works in
foreign countries, the author needs to apply separately to each country or
through dedicated international ‗Conventions on Copyright and Neighbouring
(related) Rights‘, provided a country is a member of such Conventions. India is
a member of the following Conventions:
• Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, 1886.
Universal Copyright Convention, 1952.
• Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms
and Broadcasting Organizations, 1961.
• Multilateral Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation of Copyright
Royalties, 1979.
• Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement,
1995.
Interesting Copyrights Cases
David vs. Macaques, Indonesia, 2011
• In 2011, a UK-based photographer David Slater put his camera on a tripod in
the wildlife sanctuary to click the photograph of Macaques monkeys. The
Macaques were very curious about the equipment and they found the
flashlight fascinating. One monkey clicked a selfie photograph which became
very famous and legally controversial on the matter of Copyright.
Theoretically, the monkey is the holder of Copyright as he clicked the photo.
Practically, David Slater was the claimant of the Copyright. The dispute
entered judicial quarters between People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) and David Slater. Now, the settlement has been concluded.
The photographer i.e. David Slater withholds the Copyright of the picture for
having a substantial contribution, but he would pay 25% of the royalty share
to the wildlife sanctuary where the monkey lives (https://www. wipo.int/
wipo_magazine/en/2018/01/article_0007.html).
‘Happy birthday to you’ case law
• According to the Guinness World Records, 1998, it is the most recognized
song in the English language. The melody of ‘Happy Birthday to You‘
originates from the song ‘Good Morning to All‘, which has traditionally been
attributed to American Sisters, namely Patty Smith Hill and Mildred J. Hill, in
1893. The sisters composed the melody of ‘Good Morning to All‘ to make it
more interesting for the children.
• In 1935, Summy Company registered the Copyright on the Piano Setting on
the Song.
• In 1999 Warner/Chappell acquired the company and started taking royalty
for the happy birthday song and earned a huge amount.
• After mediation by the Federal court, Warner Music, through its publishing
subsidiary Warner/Chappell, agreed to pay the settlement to a class of
‘thousands of people and entities‘ who had paid licensing fees to use the
song since 1949 because only the melody was registered and not the lyrics.
Amitabh Bachchan to lose Copyrights over
his father’s works in 2063
• Father of renowned actor Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, (late) Shree Harivansh
Rai Bachchan was a noted poet and Hindi writer.
• His most famous work was Madhushaala (1935).
• He was the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi award and the Padma
Bhushan.
• He also did Hindi translations of Shakespeare‘s Macbeth and Othello.
• He passed away on 18th January 2003, at the age of 95.
• As per the Copyright Act, 1957, the rights over his work will be
completed in the year 2063 (rights remain with the author for his
lifetime plus 60 years).