By far, the most interesting and far reaching provision of the Bill
relates to creation of a new offence if a person knowingly makes use on
computer of an infringing copy of a computer programme. According to legal
experts, this is probably is the first attempt anywhere in the world along
these lines. The relevant provision included vide Section 63 reads as follows
:
SECTION 63 B
¡@¡@Any person who knowingly makes use on a computer
of an infringing copy of a computer programme shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven days but which may
extend to three years and with fine which shall not be less than fifty
thousand rupees but which may extend to two lakh rupees :
¡@¡@Provided that where the computer programme has not been used for gain
in the course of trade or business, the court may, for adequate and special
reasons to be mentioned in the judgement, not impose any sentence of
imprisonment and may impose a fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees.
Relevant Extracts (Relating to Software)
from The Copyright Amendment
Act 1994
SECTION 2
- "Author" means -
- relation to a literary or dramatic work, the author of the work.
- relation to any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work which is
computer generated, the person who causes the work to be created.
- "Computer" includes any electronic or similar device having information
processing capabilities.
- Computer Programme" means a set of instructions expressed in words,
codes, schemes or in any other form, including a machine readable medium,
capable of causing a computer to perform a particular task or achieve a
particular result.
- "Duplicating Equipment" means any mechanical contrivance or device used
or intended to be used for making copies of any work.
- ""Exclusive License" means a license which confers on the licensee or on
the licensee and the persons authorised by him, to the exclusion of all
other persons (including the owner of the copyright) any right comprised in
the copyright in a work, and "exclusive licensee" shall be construed
accordingly.
- "Indian work" means a literary, dramatic or musical work,-
- the author of which is a citizen of India; or
- which is first published in India; or
- the author of which, in the case of an unpublished work is, at the
time of making the work, a citizen of India.
- "Infringing copy" means, in relation to a literary, dramatic, musical or
artistic work, a reproduction thereof otherwise than in the form of a
cinematographic film
- "Literary work" includes computer programmes, tables and compilations
including computer data bases.
- "Plate" includes any stereotype or other plate, stone, block, mould,
matrix, transfer, negative, duplicating equipment or other device used or
intended to be used for printing or reproducing copies of any work, and any
matrix or other appliance by which sound recording for the acoustic
presentation of the work are or are intended to be made.
- "Work" means any of the following works, namely:-
- a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work
- xxxxx
- xxxxx
- "Work of joint Authorship" means a work produced by the collaboration of
two or more authors in which the contribution of one author is not distinct
from the contribution of the other author or authors.
SECTION 3
¡@¡@For the purpose of this Act,
"publication" means a work available to the public by issue of copies or by
communicating the work to the public.
SECTION 13
¡@¡@Works in which copyright subsists. Subject to the
provisions of this section and other provisions of this Act, Copyright shall
subsist throughout India in the following classes of works that is to say,-
- original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works;
- xxxxx
SECTION 14
¡@¡@Meaning of Copyright. For the purpose of this Act,
"Copyright" means the exclusive right subject to the provisions of this Act,
to do or to authorise the doing of any of the following acts in respect of a
work or any substantial part thereof, namely-
- In the case of a literary, dramatic or musical work, not being a
computer programme,-
- to reproduce the work in any material form including the storing of it
in any medium by electronic means;
- to issue copies of the work to the public not being copies already in
circulation;
- to perform the work in public, or communicate it to the public;
- xxxx
- xxxx
- xxxx
- xxxx
- in the case of a computer programme,-
- to do any of the acts specified in clause (a);
- to sell or give on hire, or offer for sale or hire any copy of the
computer programme, regardless of whether such copy has been sold or given
on hire on earlier occasions;
- xxx
SECTION 17
¡@¡@First owner of Copyright. Subject to the
provisions of this Act, the Author of a work shall be the owner of the
copyright therein:
¡@¡@Provided that-
- xxxx
- xxxx
- in the case of a work made in the course of author's employment under a
contract of service or apprenticeship, to which clause (a) or clause (b)
does not apply, the employer shall, in the absence of any agreement to the
contrary, be the first owner of the copyright therein.
- xxxx
- xxxx
SECTION 18
¡@¡@Assignment of a Copyright.
- The owner of the copyright in an existing work or the prospective owner
of the copyright in a future work may assign to any person the copyright
either wholly or partially and either generally or subject to limitations
and either for the whole of the copyright or any part thereof:
Provided
that in the case of assignment of copyright in any future work, the
assignment shall take effect only when the work comes into existence.
- Where the assignee of a copyright becomes entitled to any right
comprised in the copyright, the assignee as respects the rights so assigned,
and the assignor as respects the rights not assigned, shall be treated for
the purposes of this Act as the owner of copyright and the provisions of
this Act shall have effect accordingly.
SECTION 19
¡@¡@Mode of Assignment.
- No assignment of the copyright in any work shall be valid unless it is
in writing signed by the assignor or by his duly authorised agent.
- The assignment of copyright in any work shall identify such work, and
shall specify the rights assigned and duration and territorial extent of
such assignment.
- The assignment of copyright in any work shall also specify the amount of
royalty payable, if any, to the author or his legal heirs during the
currency of the assignment and the assignment shall be subject to revision,
extension or termination on terms mutually agreed upon by parties.
- Where the assignee does not exercise the rights assigned to him under
any of the subsections of this section within a period of one year from the
date of assignment in respect of such rights shall be deemed to have lapsed
after the expiry of said period unless otherwise specified in the
assignment.
- If the period of assignment is not stated, it shall be deemed to be five
years from the date of assignment.
- If the territorial extent of the assignment of the rights is not
specified, it shall be presumed to extend within India.
- Nothing in sub section (2) or sub section (3) or sub section (4) or sub
section (5) or sub section (6) shall be applicable to assignments made
before the coming into force of the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1994.
SECTION 19A
¡@¡@Disputes with respect to assignment of Copyright.
- If an assignee fails to make sufficient exercise of the rights assigned
to him , and such failure is not attributable to any act of omission of the
assignor, then, the Copyright Board may, on receipt of a complaint from the
assignor and after holding such enquiry as it may deem necessary, revoke
such assignment.
- If any dispute arises with respect to the assignment of any copyright,
the Copyright Board may, on receipt of complaint from the aggrieved party
and after holding such enquiry as it considers necessary, pass such order as
it may deem fit including an order for the recovery of any royalty
payable.
Provided that the Copyright Board shall not pass any order under
this sub section to revoke the assignment unless it is satisfied that the
terms of assignment are harsh to the assignor in case the assigner is also
the author:
Provided further that no order of revocation of assignment
under this sub section, shall be made within a period of five years from the
date of such assignment.
SECTION 22
¡@¡@Term of Copyright in published literary, dramatic,
musical and artistic work.
¡@¡@Except as otherwise hereinunder provided,
copyright shall subsist in any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work
published within the lifetime of the author until sixty years from the
beginning of the calender year next following the year in which the author
dies.
SECTION 30
Licenses by owners of copyright.
The owner of the
Copyright in any existing work or the prospective owner of the copyright in
any future work may grant any interest in right by license in writing signed
by him or by his duly authorised agent:
Provided that in case of a license
relating to copyright in any future work, the license shall take effect only
when the work comes into existence.
SECTION 30A
¡@¡@Application of Sections 19 and 19A.
¡@¡@The
provisions of sections 19 and 19A shall, with necessary adaptations and
modifications, apply in relation to assignment of copyright in a work.
SECTION 45
¡@¡@Entries in the Register of Copyright.
- The author or the Publisher of, or the owner of or other person
interested in the copyright in, any work may make an application in the
prescribed from accompanied by the prescribed fee to the Registrar of
Copyrights for entering particulars of the work in the Register of
Copyrights.
¡@¡@Provided that in respect of an artistic work which is
used or is capable of being used in relation to any goods, the application
shall include a statement to the effect and shall be accompanied by a
certificate from the Registrar of Trademarks referred to in section 4 of the
Trade and Merchandise Marks Act, 1958, to the effect that no trade mark
identical with or deceptively similar to such artistic work had been
registered under the Act in the name of, or that no application has been
made under that Act for such registration by, any person other than the
applicant.
- On receipt of an application in respect of any work under sub section
(1), the Registrar of Copyrights may, after holding such enquiry as he may
deem fit, enter the particulars of the work in the Register of
Copyright.
¡@¡@Comments : The copyrights exist whether the registration
is done or not, and the registration is merely a piece of evidence as to
when a certain author started claiming copyrights in some artistic or some
other work. Glaxo Operations U.K. v. Samrat Pharmaceuticals, AIR 1984 Del.
1984 Raj. L.R. 291
SECTION 51
¡@¡@When copyright infringed. Copyright
in a work shall be deemed to be infringed-
- when any person without a license granted by the owner of the Copyright
or the Registrar of Copyrights under this Act or in contravention of the
conditions of a license so granted or of any conditions imposed by a
competent authority under this Act-
- does anything, the exclusive right to do which is by this Act
conferred upon the owner of the copyright, or
- permits for profit any place to be used for the communication of the
work to the public where such communications constitutes an infringement
of the copyright in the work, unless he was not aware and had no
reasonable ground for believing that such communication to the public
would be an infringement of copyright; or
- when any person-
- makes for sale or hire, or sells or lets for hire, or by way of trade
displays or offers for sale or hire, or
- distributes either for the purpose of trade or to such an extent as to
effect prejudicially the owner of the copyright, or
- by way of trade exhibits in public, or
- imports into India,
¡@¡@any infringing copies of the
work:
¡@¡@provided that nothing in sub clause (iv) shall apply to the
import of two copies of any work, other than a cinematographic film or record,
for private and domestic use of the importer.
SECTION 52
¡@¡@Certain acts not to be infringement of
copyright.
¡@¡@The following acts shall not constitute an infringement of
copyright, namely:-
- a fair dealing with a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work no
being a computer programme for the purposes of-
- private use including research;
- criticism or review, whether of that work or any other work
- the making of copies or adaptation of a computer programme by the lawful
possessor of a copy of such computer programme from such copy-
- in order to utilise the computer programme for the purpose for which
it was supplied; or
- to make back up copies purely as a temporary protection against loss,
destruction or damage in order only to utilise the computer programme for
the purpose for which it was supplied.
SECTION
53
¡@¡@Importation of infringing copies.
- The Registrar of Copyrights, on application by the owner of the
copyright in any work or by his duly authorised agent on payment of the
prescribed fee, may, after making such enquiry as he deems fit, order that
copies made out of India of the work which if made in India would infringe
copyright shall not be imported.
- Subject to any rules made under this act, the Registrar of Copyrights or
any person authorised by him in this behalf may enter any ship, dock or
premises where any such copies as are referred to in sub section (1) may be
found and may examine such copies.
- All copies to which any order made under sub section (1) applies shall
be deemed to be goods of which the import had been prohibited or restricted
under section 11 of the Customs Act, 1962 (51 of 1962), and all the
provisions of the Act shall have effect accordingly: ¡@¡@Provided that all
such copies confiscated under the provisions of the said Act shall not vest
in the Government but shall be delivered to the owner of the copyright in
the work.
SECTION 54
¡@¡@Definition.
¡@¡@For the purposes
of this Chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, the expression "owner
of copyright" shall include-
- an exclusive licensee;
- xxxx
SECTION 55
¡@¡@Civil remedies for infringement of copyright.
- where copyright in any work has been infringed, the owner of the
copyright shall, except as otherwise provided by this Act, be entitled to
all such remedies by way of injunction, damages, accounts and otherwise as
are or may be conferred by law for the infringement of a
right:
¡@¡@Provided that if the defendant proves that at the date of the
infringement he was not aware and had no reasonable ground for believing
that copyright subsisted in the work, the plaintiff shall not be entitled to
any remedy other than an injunction in respect of the infringement and a
decree for the whole part of the profits made by the defendant by sale of
the infringing copies as the Court may in the circumstances deem reasonable.
- Where in the case of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, a
name purporting to be that of the author or the publisher, as the case may
be, appears on copies of the work published, or, in the case of an artistic
work, appeared on the work when it was made, the person whose name so
appears or appeared shall, in any proceeding.
SECTION - 56
¡@¡@Protection of separate rights.
¡@¡@Subject to
the provisions of this Act, where the several rights comprising the copyright
in any work are owned by different persons, the owner of any such right shall,
to the extend of that right, be entitled to the remedies provided by this Act
and may individually enforce such rights by means of any suit, action or other
proceeding without making the owner of any other right party to such suit,
action or proceeding.
Section - 57
¡@¡@Author's special right.
- Independently of the author's copyright and even after the assignment
either wholly or partially of the said copyright, the author of a work shall
have the right:-
- to claim authorship of the work; and
- to restrain or claim damages in respect of any distortion, mutilation,
modification or other act in relation to the said work which is done
before the expiration of the term of copyright if such distortion,
mutilation, modification or other act would be prejudicial to his honour
or reputation:
¡@¡@Provided that the author shall not have any right to
restrain or claim damages in respect of any adaptation of a computer
programme to which clause (aa) of sub section (1) of section 52 applies.
- The right conferred upon an author of a work by sub section (1), other
than the right to claim authorship of the work, may be exercised by the
legal representative of the author.
SECTION 58
¡@¡@Rights of owner against persons possessing or
dealing with infringing copies.
¡@¡@All infringing copies of any work in
which copyright subsists, and all plates used or intended to be used for the
production of such infringing copies, shall be deemed to be the property of
the owner of the copyright, who accordingly may take proceedings for the
recovery of possession thereof or in respect of the conversion
thereof:
¡@¡@Provided that the owner of the copyright shall not be entitled
to any remedy in respect of the conversion of any infringing copies if the
opponent proves-
- that he was not aware and had no reasonable ground to believe that
copyright subsisted in the work of which such copies are alleged to be
infringing copies; or
- that he had reasonable grounds for believing that such copies or plates
do not involve infringement of the copyright in any work.
SECTION 60
¡@¡@Remedy in the case of groundless threat of legal
proceedings.
¡@¡@Where any person claiming to be the owner of copyright in
any work, by circulars, advertisements or otherwise, threatens any other
person with any legal proceedings or liability in respect of an alleged
infringement of the copyright, any person aggrieved thereby may,
notwithstanding anything contained in section 34 of the Specific Relief Act,
1963 (47 of 1963), institute a declaratory suit that the alleged infringement
to which threats related was not in fact an infringement of any legal rights
of the person making such threats and may in any such suit-
- obtain an injunction against the continuance of such threats; and
- recover such damages, if any, as he has sustained by reason of such
threats:
¡@¡@Provided that this section does not apply if the person
making such threats, with due diligence, commences and prosecutes an action
for infringement of the copyright claimed by him.
SECTION 61
¡@¡@Owners of copyright to be party to the
proceeding.
- In every Civil Suit or other proceeding regarding infringement of
copyright instituted by an exclusive licensee, the owner of the copyright
shall, unless the Court otherwise directs, be made a defendant and where
such owner is made a defendant, he shall have the right to dispute the claim
of the exclusive licensee.
- Where any Civil Suit or other proceeding regarding infringement of
copyright instituted by an exclusive licensee is successful, no fresh suit
or other proceedings in respect of the same cause of action shall lie at the
instance of the owner of the copyright.
SECTION 62
¡@¡@Jurisdiction of Court over matters arising under
this Chapter.
- Every suit or other civil proceeding arising under this chapter in
respect of the infringement of copyright in any work or the infringement of
any other right conferred by this Act shall be instituted in the district
court having jurisdiction.
- For the purpose of sub section (1), a "District Court having
jurisdiction" shall, notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Civil
Procedure, 19088 (5 of 1908) or any other law for the time being in force
include a District Court within the local limits of whose jurisdiction, at
the time of the institution of the suit or other proceedings, the person
instituting the suit or other proceedings or, where there are more than one
such persons, any of them actually and voluntarily resides or carries on
business or personally works for gain.
SECTION
63
¡@¡@Offences of infringement of copyright or other rights conferred
by this Act.
¡@¡@Any person who knowingly infringes or abets the
infringement of -
- the copyright in a work; or
- any other right conferred by this Act, except the right conferred by
Section 53A shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not
be less than six months but which may be extended to three years and with
fine which shall not be less than fifty thousand rupees but which may extend
to two lakh rupees:
¡@¡@provided that where the infringement has not been
made for gain on the course of trade or business the Court may, for adequate
and special reasons to be mentioned in the judgement, impose a sentence of
imprisonment for a term of not less than six months or a fine of less than
fifty thousand rupees.
SECTION 63A
¡@¡@Enhanced penalty on second and subsequent
convictions.
¡@¡@Whoever having already been convicted of an offence under
section 63 is again convicted of any such offence shall be punishable for the
second and every subsequent offence, with imprisonment for a term which shall
not be less than one year but which may extend to three years and with fine
which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to two lakh
rupees:
¡@¡@provided that where infringement has not been made for gain in
the course of trade or business the court may, for adequate and special
reasons to be mentioned in the judgement, impose a sentence of imprisonment
for a term of less than one year or a fine of less than one lakh
rupees.
¡@¡@Provided further that for the purposes of this section, no
cognisance shall be taken of any conviction made before the commencement of
Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1984 (65 of 1984).
SECTION 63 B
¡@¡@Knowing use of infringing copy of computer
programme to be an offence.
¡@¡@Any person who knowingly makes use on a
computer of an infringing copy of a computer programme shall be punishable
with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven days but which
may extend to three years and with fine which shall not be less than fifty
thousand rupees but which may extend to two lakh rupees:
¡@¡@provided that
where the computer programme has not been used for gain or in the course of
trade or business, the court may, for adequate and special reasons to be
mentioned in the judgement, not impose any sentence of imprisonment and may
impose a fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees.
SECTION 64
¡@¡@Power of police to seize infringing copies.
- Any police officer, not below the rank of a sub inspector, may if he is
satisfied that an offence under section 63 in respect of infringement of
copyright in any work has been, is being, or is likely to be, committed,
seize without warrant, all copies of the work, where ever found, and all
copies and plates so seized shall, as soon as practicable, be produced
before a Magistrate.
- Any person having an interest in any copies of a work, or plates seized
under sub section (1) may, within fifteen days of such seizure, make an
application to the Magistrate for such copies or plates being restored to
him and the Magistrate, after hearing the applicant and the complainant and
making such further enquiry as may be necessary, shall make such order on
the application as he may deem fit.
SECTION 65
¡@¡@Possession of plates for the purpose of making
infringing copies.-
¡@¡@Any person who knowingly makes, or has in his
possession, any plate for the purpose of making infringing copies of any work
in which copyright subsists shall be punishable with imprisonment which may
extend to two years and also be liable to fine.
SECTION 66
¡@¡@Disposal of infringing copies or plates for
purpose of making infringing copies.
¡@¡@The court trying any offence under
this Act may, whether the alleged offender is convicted or not, order that all
copies of the work or all plates in the possession of the alleged offender,
which appear to be infringing copies, or plates for the purpose of making
infringing copies, be delivered up to the owner of the copyright.
SECTION 69
¡@¡@Offences by companies.
- Where any offence under this Act has been committed by a company, every
person who at the time the offence was committed was in charge of, and was
responsible to the company for, the conduct of business of the company, as
well as the company shall be deemed to be guilty of such an offence and
shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:
- Provided that nothing contained in this sub section shall render any
person liable to any punishment, if he proves that the offence was
committed without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to
prevent the commission of such offence.
- Notwithstanding anything contained in sub section (1), where an offence
under this Act has been committed by a company, and it is proved that the
offence was committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable
to any negligence on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other
officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer
shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be
proceeded against and punished accordingly.
¡@¡@Explanation.- For the
purpose of this section-
- "company" means any body corporate and includes a firm or other
association of persons; and
- "director" in relation to a firm means a partner in the firm.
SECTION 70
¡@¡@Cognizance of offence.
¡@¡@No
court inferior to that of a Metropolitan Magistrate or a Judicial Magistrate
of the first class shall try any offence under this Act.
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