As part of our Online Services, we provide full-service copyright registration in India, including preparing and filing the application and notifying you of acceptance or any objections from the authorities.
Documents & Information We Need
- Name, address, and nationality of the applicant
- Name, address, and nationality of the work's author
- Nature of the applicant's interest in the copyright — owner, licensee, etc.
- Title of the work
- A declaration signed by the author, if different from the applicant
- Language of the work
- Whether the work is published or unpublished
- If published, the year and country of first publication, and the publisher's name, address, and nationality
- Year and countries of any subsequent publications
- Name, address, and nationality of anyone else authorized to assign or license the copyright
- Special power of attorney for the firm (we'll draft this)
- Six hard copies of the work, plus three soft copies (for computer programs, 3 copies of the program on CD-ROM)
Upload your documents at upload@alliedlegalonline.com, or send signed documents to our Delhi address. Or contact us to learn more.
Procedure
- The application, with full details and copies of the work, is filed.
- The application is examined; any objections are raised, or additional documents requested.
- A response must be filed within 30 days.
- The certificate is issued once any objections are resolved to the Copyright Registry's satisfaction.
What Copyright Covers
Copyright protects original literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic works. It also covers cinematographic films (including soundtracks), video films, and recordings on discs, tapes, perforated rolls, or other devices. Computer programs and software are covered as literary works under Indian copyright law.
The term of protection for a literary work is the author's life plus 60 years. For cinematographic films, records, photographs, posthumous or anonymous publications, and works of government and international agencies, the term is 60 years from the start of the calendar year after publication. For broadcasts, it's 25 years from the start of the calendar year after the broadcast.
Copyright violation is a cognizable offence, meaning it can be reported to a police station. Registering your copyright in India helps establish ownership of the work; registration is handled by the Office of the Registrar of Copyrights in New Delhi, and once registered, the work becomes open to public inspection.
Computer Programs
Under the Copyright Act, a computer program is a set of instructions expressed in words, codes, schemes, or any other form (including machine-readable media) that causes a computer to perform a task or achieve a result — this covers algorithms, source code, and object code. It's advisable to file a small extract of the program at registration rather than the full program; the unfiled portion remains the owner's trade secret, but must be carefully guarded. Screen displays, while related to a computer program, are considered an artistic work rather than a literary one, and require a separate application with a graphical representation of the copyrightable elements. In the digital era, copyright increasingly covers databases, multimedia works, music, and information transacted over networks.
Pricing
| Service | Service Fee | Completion Time |
|---|---|---|
| Copyright Registration | Rs. 2,000 (USD 88) | 40–60 days |
Prices quoted in USD are indicative only — INR pricing is final. Quoted prices apply to the Delhi area only. A 3% fee may apply to online payments.
Service Area
All of India, including Jammu and Kashmir.
Refund Policy
Cancel within 5 days of ordering and we deduct 25% as a cancellation fee, refunding the balance with no questions asked; after that period, the service fee isn't refundable. If an assignment can't be completed for reasons outside client cancellation, the same 25% deduction plus incurred costs applies. Questions? Contact admin@alliedlegalonline.com.