Copyright a Song in India

Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection granted under Indian law to the creators of original works of authorship such as literary works, dramatic, musical, artistic works, cinematographic films and sound recordings. In this article, we look at the procedure to copyright a song in India. To know more about copyright registration, get in touch with an IndiaFilings Advisor at sales@indiafilings.com

Copyright Law

In India, copyrights are protected and governed by The Copyright Act 1957 (as amended by the Copyright Amendment Act 2012). Under the Act, all copyrights registrations are handled by the Copyright Office under the immediate control of a Registrar of Copyrights, appointed by the Central Government. The Copyright Office is currently located at the following address:

Boudhik Sampada Bhawan, Plot No. 32, Sector 14, Dwarka, New Delhi-110075 Telephone No.: 011-25301202

Copyright Validity

Copyright registered in India is recognized worldwide under the Berne Convention and the applicable law of its member nations. The list of counties under the Berne Convention is provided at the end of this article for reference. The general rule is that copyright lasts for 60 years. In the case of original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works the 60-year period is counted from the year following the death of the author. For works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author or copyright owner plus an additional 70 years.

Copyright a Song

A song or music can be copyrighted in India by applying to the Copyright Office in India with the following application form. Along with the completed application form, the following documents must be submitted:

For Music

2 copies of work (Graphical Notes)
NOC (No Objection Certificate) from publisher if work published and publisher is different from applicant.
NOC from author if applicant is other than author.
If the application is being filed through attorney , a specific Power of Attorney in original duly signed by the applicant and accepted by the attorney.

For Sound Recording

2 copies of work
NOC from publisher if work published and publisher is different from applicant.
If the application is being filed through attorney , a specific Power of Attorney in original duly signed by the applicant and accepted by the attorney

List of Countries under Berne Convention

Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works or Berne Convention is an international agreement governing copyright, which was first accepted in Berne, Switzerland, in 1886. As of February 2018, there are 175 states that are parties to the Berne Convention. This includes 172 UN member states plus the Cook Islands, the Holy See and Niue. A-