Benefits of Copyright Registration

Copyright grants protection against unauthorized uses to creative endeavors such as works of literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic nature, besides cinematograph films and sound recordings. It covers, among other things, all processes involved in reproduction, communication, dissemination, adaptation, and translation of such works. 
The Copyright Act, 1957 was enacted in January 1958 in India. Since then, it has undergone five amendments; its latest version – the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012 – has introduced an extension of copyright protection in the digital environment. 

Why do we need to protect the IPR related to Copyright? 
Copyright is an instrument to protect and reward creativity, which is an essential prerequisite to economic and social development of the country. It seeks to safeguard the works of artists, writers, performers such as singers and musicians, designers, playwrights, and architects. The law further extends protection to producers of sound recordings, cinematograph films and computer software. 

What all is included under Copyright in Indian laws? 
The Copyright legislation protects the expressions of creatively but not the ideas, procedures, and methods of operation or mathematical concepts. However, it encompasses a wide range of creative works from source codes of software to architectural blueprints. 

What are the rights of a Copyright owner?
Copyright provides economic as well as moral rights to the owner. While economic rights allow the owner to derive financial reward from the use of his works by others, moral rights protect his non-economic interests such as the right to claim authorship of his work and the right to oppose changes to it that could harm his reputation.

After obtaining the copyright, the owner gets exclusive right to prohibit or authorize reproduction of his work in various forms, such as its printed publication or sound recording; public performance, such as in a play or musical work; recording, for example, in the form of compact discs or DVDs; broadcast by radio, cable or satellite; translation into other languages; and its adaptation, such as a novel into a film screenplay.

What are the benefits of getting a Copyright?
Registration of copyrights with the Indian Copyright Office greatly enhances their value and provides a public record of ownership. It entitles the owner to file a lawsuit for copyright infringement, making him or her eligible for statutory damages, attorney fees, and costs of the suit. 
It also enables the owner to work with Indian Custom Authorities to detain and seize imported goods that violate his rights. Registering copyright is relatively inexpensive and always beneficial when the work at issue has market value apart from being crucial to business operations or other profit-seeking activities.

How will Aneja & Aneja help you in the process of filing and protecting your Copyright? 
We assist our clients with the filing, registration, and protection of all their creative works including contesting and defending claims of copyright infringement. Our services include: 

• Advising clients regarding the protection of their rights in terms of the acquisition, sale, and licensing of copyrighted works. 
• Handling cancellations of copyright and representing clients before the Copyright Office and Board in connection with such activities. 
• Advising them on effectively managing software license compliance issues by conducting due diligence investigations to ensure they are not in breach of third party rights. 
• Handling civil and criminal suits and pursuing administrative remedies before various courts and tribunals in India, assisting with search and seizure operations, analyzing overlapping IP rights, drafting take-down notices, and managing online content.