Piracy is on the rise and it hurts most of the original content/product creators. There are a lot of laws that protect the creators against using their content without their consent. One such law is Copyright. Copyright is a law that gives the owner the right to make multiple copies of their original copyrighted work. But it also prevents others from doing the same without the permission of the owner. so this article you will get an idea about how to get copyright in India.

To use these facilities, the owner has to register his work by copyright registration. In India, it is done under the Copyright Act,1957 and Copyright Rules 2013. Copyright is basically for the protection of original content creators against duplication of their content without their permission.

Fundamentals of Copyright Registration in India

If you are an innovator, then it is vital that you protect your creations by copyrighting them. But first, you should have an understanding of what is actually eligible for copyright and what is not. I’ve listed below some features of a work/content/product that can be copyrighted under the Indian laws.

1. A thought or an idea cannot be copyrighted but the expression of the same can be. For example, you can copyright software that you code on any system, but not the thought of writing that code.
2. A word cannot be copyrighted. So, even if you have a great new name or any other word, you just can’t get a copyright for it.
3. Make sure your content/work etc is your own i.e. original and not a copy of someone else.

For What Exactly Can You Get A Copyright?

Copyright can only be given to original content/work etc. It is not given for each and every kind of work. Below are some examples that can get copyright:

1. Creative work such as creating a logo or painting.
2. Content related to literature such as a book or computer program.
3. Content related to artistic work such as a play.
4. Content related to Music such as graph music.
5. Cinematographic work such as music videos, movies, short films, etc.
6. Musical content such as a song.

Documents Needed for Copyright Registration

A smooth registration process can be achieved when you have the following documents and details:

1. A No Objection Certificate or NOC from the author of the work (in case the applicant and author are different people).
2. A minimum of 3 copies of the same content/work.
3. Special Power of Attorney.
4. A NOC from the publisher in case the publisher and the applicant are different and the content is published.
5. If an individual’s picture appears on the content, then a NOC from that person also.
6. TM-60 is the NOC from the Trademark office that is required if you either want to or it is possible to use the work on goods.
7. The Name, Address, mobile number, as well as the nationality of the author.
8. Location of the content.
9. The country and the year where the content was first published.
10. Details regarding if the work is an adaptation or a translation of some other work.
11. Authorization needed in respect of work, if any.
12. The title of the content.
13. The language of the content.

Fee required for Copyright Registration

The fee that is charged by the government varies as per the type of content and it starts from Rs. 500. The professional fee also varies accordingly as per the type of content and it starts from Rs. 1500.

Time Required for Copyright Registration Process

The copyright registration process takes about 8-9 months on an average. This time can increase subsequently if any discrepancies in the application are found and raised by the copyright office.

Below is the complete flow chart which describes the step-by-step process of copyright registration in India.