In a digital world, the Indian government is on a constant move to deliver on its promise of a Digital India. One of its new initiatives is the digitization of the Copyrights records in the copyright registry.

Digitization in the copyright world has started after the public notice by the Copyright Office dated August 31, 2017, and September 01, 2017 here[1] and here[2].

According to the said public notice, the Copyright Office will now publish on its website:

all registration application

any work under Section 45[3]

correction made in the Register under Section 49[4]

rectification under Section 50

of the Copyright Act, 1957, on monthly basis from January 1, 2017

Further, in supporting the idea of technology for transparency and digitization, the Copyright Office requires that the published information be taken as a notice within 30 days by anyone whoever claims or has interest in the subject matter or disputes the applicant rights under Rule 70(9) of the Copyright Rules, 2013. The Office further added that if the applicant did not submit any document within the 30 days’ notice period, then that application shall be treated as abandoned.

Such a list will be published by the Office on First Friday every month.

Earlier, such information was viewed only at Copyright Office via an inspection of the register but now after these notification transparencies will be maintained and everybody shall have access to the register. This is a new step in a new direction, and hopefully, the digitization of these records provides faster access to applicants and people seeking to avoid infringement.

[1] http://copyright.gov.in/Documents/ERegister/Public_Notice.pdf

[2] http://copyright.gov.in/Documents/New_Applications/Public_Notice.pdf

[3] http://copyright.gov.in/documents/copyrightrules1957.pdf

[4] http://copyright.gov.in/documents/copyrightrules1957.pdf