About Copy Right

The copyright Act, 1957 amends and consolidates the Law relating to copyright in India. Copyright shall subsist throughout India for the following classes of works.
a) Original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works.
b) Cinematograph films,
c) Sound recording
Copyright means the exclusive right to do or authorize the doing of any of the following acts in respects of a work or any substantial part thereof, namely:
a) In the case of literary, dramatic or musical work, not being a computer program:-
1.To reproduce the work in any material form including the storing of it in any medium by electronic means;
2.To issue copies of the work to the public not being copies already in circulation;
3.To perform the work in public, or communicate it to the public;
4.To make any cinematograph or sound recording in respect of the work.
5.To make any translation work;
6.To make any adaptation work;
b) In the case of computer program:-
1.To do any of the acts specified in clause a.
2.To sell or give on commercial, rental or offer for sale or for commercial, rental any copy of the computer program, provided that such commercial rental does not apply in respect of computer program where the programme itself is not the essential object of the rental.

The author of a work shall be the first owner of copyright therein. The owner of the copyright in an existing work or the prospective owner of the copyright in a future work may assign to any person the copyright either wholly or partially provided that in the case of assignment of copyright in any future work the assignment shall take effect only when the work comes into existence. The author of a work may relinquish all or any of the rights comprised in the copyright in the work by giving notice in the prescribed form to the Registrar of copyrights.

Copyright shall subsist in any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work (other than a photograph) published within the lifetime of the author until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the author dies.

In the case of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work (other than a photograph) which is published anonymously or pseudonymously, copyright shall subsist until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the work is first published.

In the case of a photograph, copyright shall subsist until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the photograph is published.

In the case of a cinematographic film, copyright shall subsist until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the film is published.

In the case of a sound recording, copyright shall subsist until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the sound recording is published.