E-filing of Copyright Registration – A Complete Guide

According to the Copyright Act, 1957, a copyright registration provides various protections and rights to the original work’s creator. Creators of musical, cinematography, dramatic, and artistic works can avail rights on their original creation by the feature of copyright registration. These rights and protections are only for a limited time, and it lasts for 60 years. E-filing of Copyright Registration is a simple process, but it contains some uncertainties. The copyright owner may assign partially or entirely and either subject to limitations copyright to any person in future, and copyright rights vary from different work to work, and it is always recommended to do a copyright registration. E-filing of copyright registration facility is provided on the website. Scroll down to check more information regarding E-filing of Copyright Registration.

Meaning of Copyright

Copyright is a creator’s right to safeguard his or her original work from being misused, stolen or copied by any unauthorized person without taking any permission from the original creator. To avail all the rights of copyright registration, a creator has to attain copyright registration for his or her work. If the original work is protected under the Copyright Act, no other unauthorized person can copy, misuse, or steal that work without permission from the original creator.

Also, Read: What are the Legal Actions Taken Against Copyright Infringement?

What are the Essential Documents required for E-filing of Copyright Registration?

Following is the list of all documents required for E-filing of Copyright Registration:

Documents required for Artistic work

• Submit a No Objection Certificate or NOC from the author if the applicant is different from the author.
• In case the challenger is different from the publisher, submit a No Objection Certificate from the publisher.
• Submit NOC from the person whose photograph is shown on the work.
• Submit a duly signed Power of Attorney by the applicant and accepted by the attorney, if the application is filed by an attorney.
• DD or Demand Draft in favour of “Registrar of Copyright.”
• Submit two copies of the original work of the creator.

Documents required for Musical Work

• Submit two copies of Graphical Notes.
• DD or Demand Draft in favour of “Registrar of Copyright.”
• In case the challenger is different from the publisher, submit a No Objection Certificate from the publisher.
• Submit a duly signed Power of Attorney by the applicant and accepted by the attorney, if the application is filed by an attorney.

Documents required for Sound Recording

• Submit two copies of the original work of the creator.
• DD or Demand Draft in favour of “Registrar of Copyright”.
• NOC or No Objection Certificate from various copyright owners or copy of the agreement.
• In case the challenger is different from the publisher, submit a No Objection Certificate from the publisher.
• Submit a duly signed Power of Attorney by the applicant and accepted by the attorney, if the application is filed by an attorney.

Documents required for Cinematograph Films

• Submit two copies of the original work of the creator.
• DD or Demand Draft in favour of “Registrar of Copyright”.
• NOC or No Objection Certificate from various copyright owners or copy of the agreement.
• In case the challenger is different from the publisher, submit a No Objection Certificate from the publisher.
• Submit a duly signed Power of Attorney by the applicant and accepted by the attorney, if the application is filed by an attorney.

Documents required for Dramatic or Literary works

• Submit two copies of the original work of the creator.
• DD or Demand Draft in favour of “Registrar of Copyright”.
• Submit a duly signed Power of Attorney by the applicant and accepted by the attorney, if the application is filed by an attorney.
• Submit NOC from the person whose photograph is shown on the work.
• In case the challenger is different from the publisher, submit a No Objection Certificate from the publisher.
• Submit a No Objection Certificate or NOC from the author if the applicant is different from the author.

Documents required for Software

• Submit two copies of the original work of the creator.
• DD or Demand Draft in favour of “Registrar of Copyright”.
• Source and object code in of work for verification.

What is the Procedure for E-filing of Copyright Registration?

Following are the steps required to be followed for E-filing of Copyright Registration:

• If you are a new user, then you have to click on “New User Registration” button and keep your login details for future use.
• After login, click on the “Click for Copyright Registration” button.
• The E-filing of Copyright Registration can be completed in four different steps by filing a Copyright Registration Form:

1. The initial step is to fill Form XIV and save all the details that you have entered in the form.
2. Then, you have to fill in the Statement of Particulars and save all the details that you have entered and press step-3 for the next process.
3. Once you complete the step-2, now you have to fill the Statement for Further Particulars. This form is available for musical, literary, dramatic, and Artistic works, save all the details. After that press step-4 to move to the next step.
4. After that, you have to make a payment through Payment Gateway.

• Once you completed “Copyright Registration Form”, a Diary Number will be generated, and you have to keep this number for future use.
• All the artistic works must be uploaded in PDF, PNG, or JPG format but literary works are uploaded in PDF format only with less than the size of 5 MB.
• After that, take a printout of “Copyright Registration Form” and “Acknowledgement Slip” and send it through the post.

Conclusion

Under the Copyright Act, 1957, a copyright registration gives various protections and rights to a creator’s original work. These rights and protections are only for a limited time, and it lasts for 60 years. Creators of artistic works, dramatic, music, cinematography, etc. can avail all the rights on their original creation by copyright registration. If you have any question regarding E-filing of Copyright Registration, please contact Swarit Advisors.

Also, Read: What are the Vital Documents Required for Copyright Registration?