Copyright amendments will benefit industry: IBF

NEW DELHI: The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has ?wholeheartedly? welcomed the Amendments made in the half-century-old Copyright Act.

IBF applauded everyone who had been relentlessly working for the passage of the Copyright Amendment Bill, especially Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley.

IBF also expressed its gratitude to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni who had been instrumental in getting this historical bill passed by both houses of the Parliament.

The Amendments will benefit every creative person in India, be it an author, composer, writer, etc, who has hitherto been deprived of his/her due so far. With this Bill, the creator?s rights are upheld and respected and the amendments are a positive step in the right direction. It will beyond doubt help a large chunk of creative people in the country, where largest number of movies and television programmes are made.

IBF also welcomed the provision for statutory licensing for broadcasting organisations, noting that radio and television broadcasting were growing sectors in the country and are important medium to disseminate information, education, news, views and infotainment to the masses and the general public.

Programmes relating to music compositions, talent hunts, reality shows etc. had become quote popular on both radio and TV and involved the usage of songs and music in various ways.

Any copyright legislation needs to ensure that public interest is not compromised so far as ?public access? to information and entertainment in literary and musical works is concerned.

IBF states: "It is for serving this larger public interest of unhindered access to information in a smooth and non-discriminatory manner that Section 31D had been incorporated in the Act. It provides for the availability of content to any broadcasting organisation through the mechanism of Statutory Licensing on the payment of royalty determined by the Copyright Board which will fix separate rates for radio and TV."

The aim, IBF adds, is to ensure that the content becomes available to everyone desirous of the same without any discrimination and on reasonable royalties fixed by the Board, and at the same time ensuring the owners of copyright works do not suffer from any disadvantage.

The Copyright (Amendment) Bill ?has been and will be appreciated for the significant changes it will bring to the Broadcasting Industry as a whole.?