Copyright (Amendment) Rules 2019
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has proposed changes to rules under the Copyright Act to make it easier for websites, portals and music streaming firms to buy contents and upload them.
Copyright (Amendment) Rules 2019
- Under the current Copyright Act only radio and TV broadcast firms are allowed to take permission from the owners and negotiate a price bilaterally or through Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB).
- The draft rule proposes to include companies operating through digital mode like websites and music streaming firms.
- It allows a legal body IPAB to fix the royalties that the platform would have to pay to the copyright holder.
- Copyright societies which help the owners of the copyright grant licences to reproduce their work would be required to draw up and make public an annual transparency report.
- The annual transparency report to include details like the society s refusals to grant licences, financial information on revenue for each category of rights administered, the use of their income and the royalties due to the owners of the copyright.
Copyrights in India
The copyright regime in India is governed by the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Copyright Rules, 2013. The rules were last amended in 2016.
The Copyright Act together with providing protection and rights to the content owners also vests the content owners with the responsibility to make available that content to more and more people at affordable prices.
