A BRIEF INSIGHT ON COPYRIGHT IN INDIA

A BRIEF INSIGHT ON COPYRIGHT IN INDIA

Intellectual Property is a subject of recent origin. You own houses, jewels, shares, money in the form of cash etc. These are tangible assets. You enjoy them as you own them. Unless and until you offer them to somebody else, these things which you own cannot normally be taken away and enjoyed by others. Intellectual property, on the other hand, refers to the ownership of intangible and non-physical goods. It results from the expression of an idea. It is the property of your mind or a proprietary knowledge.  So, it may be a brand, an invention, a design, a song or another intellectual creation. Since it is the property of your mind, the moment it is divulged, the benefits arising from these ideas can be enjoyed by others. The concept of intellectual property provides that certain products of human intellect should be given the same protective rights that apply to physical properties. This right is the ‘Intellectual Property Right’. Copyright is one of the subject matters of Intellectual Property Rights.

Copyright is an exclusive right given by law for a certain number of years to an author, composer etc. (or his assignee) to print, publish and sell copies of his original work. It can be defined as the legal right to be the only one to reproduce, publish, and sell a book, musical recording, etc., for a certain period of time.

My earlier book titled ‘An Introduction to Intellectual Property Rights’ gives a brief outline as to what are the various facets of Intellectual Property and how to protect them from possible exploitation. Some basic fundamental things about Copyright have been explained in that book. This book deals a little more extensively on the subject of copyright. In particular, it gives a brief insight into Copyright in India.