Copyright Registration

Copyright ownership gives the owner the exclusive right to use the work, with some exceptions. When a person creates an original work, fixed in a tangible medium, he or she automatically owns the copyright to the work. Copyright law protects creators of original material from unauthorized duplication or use. For an original work to be protected by copyright laws, it has to be in tangible form.

Many types of works are eligible for copyright protection, for example:

• Audiovisual works, such as TV shows, movies, and online videos
• Sound recordings and musical compositions
• Written works, such as lectures, articles, books, and musical compositions
• Visual works, such as paintings, posters, and advertisements
• Video games and computer software
• Dramatic works, such as plays and musicals

These rights include the right to reproduce the work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies, and to perform and display the work publicly. It’s important to understand that copyright law covers the “form of material expression,” not the actual concepts, ideas, techniques, or facts in a particular work. This is the reason behind why a work must be fixed in a tangible form in order to receive copyright protection.

Once your copyright is registered, it becomes much easier to move to the court and get the person who illegally copied your work punished. To provide adequate protection to copyright holders, the Copyright Act, of 1957 provides imprisonment from six months to three years and a fine of not less than INR 50,000 in case your right is infringed by someone.