In News: Recently, the government has notified Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2021 and included a new provision that eliminates the requirement of publication in the Official Gazette.
Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2021
- Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Amendment objective: Bringing the existing rules in parity with other relevant
- Amendment aims: To ensure smooth and flawless compliance in the light of technological advancement in the digital era by adopting electronic means as primary mode of communication and working in the Copyright Office.
- New provision:
- Regarding publication of a copyrights journal has been incorporated, thereby eliminating the requirement of publication in the Official Gazette.
- To deal with the undistributed royalty amounts and use of electronic and traceable payment methods while collection and distribution of royalties.
- To reinforce transparency in working of copyright societies a new rule has been introduced, whereby the copyright societies will be required to draw up and make public an Annual Transparency Report for each financial year.
- The amendments have harmonised the Copyright Rules with the provisions of Finance Act, 2017 whereby the Copyright Board has been merged with Appellate Board.
- The compliance requirements for registration of software works have been largely reduced, as now the applicant has the liberty to file the first 10 and last 10 pages of source code, or the entire source code if less than 20 pages, with no blocked out or redacted portions.
- The time limit for the Central Government to respond to an application made before it for registration as a copyright society is extended to one hundred and eighty days, so that the application can be more comprehensively examined.
India and Intellectual Property Rights
- TRIPS Agreement: India is a member of the World Trade Organisation and committed to the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
- WIPO: India is a member of World Intellectual Property Organization, a body responsible for the promotion of the protection of intellectual property rights throughout the world.
- India member of the important WIPO-administered International relating to IPRs.
- Budapest Treaty: International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure
- Paris Convention: Protection of Industrial Property
- Berne Convention: Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
- Madrid Agreement: Concerning the International Registration of Marks- Madrid Protocol
- Washington Treaty: Intellectual Property in respect of Integrated Circuits
- Nairobi Treaty: Protection of the Olympic Symbol
- Marrakesh Treaty: Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities
Copyright
- Type is intellectual property.
- The rights of authors of literary and artistic works (such as books and other writings, musical compositions, paintings, sculpture, computer programs and films) are protected by copyright, for a minimum period of 50 years after the death of the author.
- Under Owner the exclusive right to make copies of his or her creative work, It can be education, artistic, literary or music.
- World Intellectual Property Organisation(WIPO), Copyright protects two types of rights.
- Economic rights: Allow the owners to derive financial reward from the use of their works.
- Moral rights: Allow authors to take certain actions to protect their link with their work.
Source: PIB and EconomicTime
