Copyright registration in India - An Overview

Copyright is a kind of intellectual property protection like trademark and patents. Copyright registration is done following the Copyright Act, 1957. With copyright registration, you become a legal owner of your creative work in respect of books, paintings, music, website, etc. Copyright registration with the authority secures the creative work of the author cannot be copied. No person is allowed to use the same without the permission of the author or creator. The author is entitled to charge others for using his work or changing it. Copyrights registration safeguards the rights of the inventor from infringement.

In India, the registration gives its owner exclusive, individual rights to distribute, replicate, reproduce the work or give authorization to another entity for the same. It offers a bunch of rights – communication to the public, rights of reproduction, adaptation, and translation of the work. However, ideas, procedures, methods of operation or mathematical concepts cannot be copyrighted.

Examples of copyright-able works include 

• Literary works 

• Musical works, including any accompanying words 

• Dramatic works, including any accompanying music 

• Pantomimes and choreographic works 

• Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works 

• Motion pictures and other audiovisual works 

• Sound recordings, which are works that result from the fixation of a series of musical,  spoken, or other sounds 

• Architectural works...........

These categories should be viewed broadly for the purpose of registering your work. For example, computer programs and certain “compilations” can be registered as “literary works”; maps and technical drawings can be registered as “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.” 

Copyright is extremely important to authors because it constitutes the ownership of one's original work. Having ownership means you can protect your work as intellectual property and control who makes money from it.

Exclusive use: Once you get copyright for your work, others cannot use it without permission. If any infringement takes place, you can carry out legal action.

Record of ownership: Once you get the copyright registered, there will be a public record of the ownership of your work.

Preventing misuse: You can prevent misuse of your work by registering a copyright. You will have more control over how it is presented to the public.

Economic gain: The most crucial benefit is the economy you derive from the same. You will have the sole right to any revenue that accrues from your original work.

Encourages creativity: It encourages general creativity in the society as owners enjoy the benefits of creative work.

Copyright registration is very important for the one who creates something unique. Copyright secures companies, authors, writers, software developers, etc. They offer several benefits: 

And helps as prima facie evidence in the court of law over ownership of the work. Along with this, it offers Infringement Protection. It gives the creator the right way to get to people who are copying their work and making a living out of the efforts of the hard created things. 

Registered copyright can be applied for marketing and building a sense of goodwill along with quality in the minds of your customers. Registered copyright tells others that you care about want you invented.  

After the creator’s death, protection can be extended. Copyright’s protection is not restricted up to the initial creators’ life span its validity is higher than any other intellectual property. It is for 60 years after his/her death also. 

Copyright protection gives prima facie evidence in case if the litigation proceeds. The proof is required to attest to anything in the court of law. Hence, here the copyright registration is very beneficial for creators. 

The registration makes work recognized across the world and it becomes searchable in the copyright registry database. Once copyright registration is made it limits the use of work without the authorization of the creator. 

The registration will prove that you are serious about copyright infringement. This will help prevent illegal reproduction of the work as it gives the owner a host of legal support. 

Registered copyrights are intellectual property and the rights can be traded, franchised or commercially engaged. 

When the registration of copyright is done, a clear public record is made that benefits the original creator to build his ownership over the said copyright. 

People will proceed with that content is original and not copied from anywhere and neither anyone else can steal the content. 

Works that are copyrighted in many other countries are allowed similar privileges here in India. Furthermore, works copyright registered in India are given protection in many foreign countries.