Authors to hold Copyright over compositions, not producers
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- Pandora Box
- Wednesday, 23 May 2012 15:06
- Published on Wednesday, 23 May 2012 15:06
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Gujarat Global News Network, New Delhi
The parliament unanimously passed the Copyright Act (Amendment) Bill yesterday. Once the bill becomes law, the authors will be the copyright owners which can’t be assigned to producers contrary to the current practice.
Big wigs of the music industry ranging from Pandit Ravi Shankar to A R Rahman had been pushing for the amendment to the present copyright act as it allows producers to pocket the royalties while artistes are left in the lurch.
HRD minister Kapil Sibal said the new law would help artistes in their old age when they would reap the rewards of work done during their professional life. Sibal drew the attention of the House to the deplorable condition to which shehnai exponent Bismillah Khan and music composer Ravi had sunk in their old age, saying they were unable to even pay their house rent and meet medical expenses.
The Act makes it mandatory for radio and TV broadcasters to pay royalty to the owners of the copyright each time a work of art is broadcast. The amount of royalty would be decided by the Copyright Board rather than left to the whims of companies. The Act bans the bringing out of cover versions of any literary, dramatic or musical work within five years of their original recording. Sibal said the Bill adequately took care of the piracy issue. “We have embraced the wisdom of the standing committee in bringing about various provisions of this Bill,” he said.
For news in Hindi see our Hindi daily Chaupal Chronicle
