India Copyright Guide (Frequently Asked Questions – Indian Copyright Act 1957)

1. LEGISLATION AND REGULATION

1.1 What are the main sources of copyright law?

The Copyright Act, 1957 (the "Act"), supported by the Copyright Rules, 1958 (the "Rules"), is the governing law for copyright protection in India. Substantial amendments were carried out to the Copyright Act, in May 2012.

India follows common law legal system thus relies on case laws to interpret and set precedents in law. As a result there are a number of judicial decisions that contribute to the sources of copyright law in the India.

India is a member of the Berne Conventions and Universal Copyright Convention. The Government of India has also passed the International Copyright Order, 1958. According to this Order, any work first published in any country - which is a member of any of the above conventions - is granted the same treatment as if it was first published in India.