NEW DELHI: Television broadcasters have objected to some of the changes in the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 as it has excluded them from the ambit of the statutory licensing provisions.

Broadcasters fear this could lead to legal fights between them and the music content owners. Under the statutory licensing norms, music companies would have had to give them content without any discrimination; the royalties would have been decided by the Copyright Board.

The Bill has been placed in the Rajya Sabha for discussion, after getting the Cabinet nod.

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has noted ?with regret and apprehension? the changes introduced by the Human Resource Development Ministry in the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010.

The NBA said by the change, the provision of statutory licensing has been sought to be restricted only to "radio" and not to other broadcasting media like television.

In a press note, the NBA said this will benefit only vested business interests and act to the serious detriment of the fast growing broadcasting industry.

"These changes are also an attempt by the Ministry to overreach the Parliamentary Standing Committee, which had implicitly accepted the earlier dispensation," the NBA said in a statement.

The NBA expressed the hope that the Ministry would restore the earlier provision covering all broadcasting media.

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate is looking into complaints of criminal activities like money laundering against Indian Premier League (IPL), Parliament was informed today.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in the Rajya Sabha in reply to questions that there are certain "irregularities which are being looked into, particularly relating to some complaints received that there are investments, so far as IPL is concerned, from outside."

"Those are being looked into by the Enforcement Directorate because those are the criminal activities like money laundering," Mukherjee said.

He said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which organises the IPL Twenty20 series had enjoyed income tax exemptions till 2006. This registration was lost in 2006 following verdict of the Allahabad High Court. Since then, BCCI is subject to tax.

He said BCCI itself has taken certain action against IPL. Since the BCCI was earlier exempted from income tax, "there was no question for them to show low income," Mukherjee said, adding the authorities have raised the tax demand after the BCCI lost registration under the Madras Registrations Act.

Tax demands were raised for the assessment years 2007-08 and 2008-09 amounting to Rs 1.18 billion and Rs 2.57 billion respectively. As much as Rs 2.49 billion has already been recovered from BCCI, Mukherjee said.

The gross receipts disclosed by BCCI in its tax returns for the assessment years 2007-08 to 2010-11 are Rs 6.52 billion, Rs 10 billion, Rs 13.88 billion and Rs 16.67 billion respectively, Mukherjee said.

The concerned agencies are looking into the "criminal activities and other areas" under relevant laws, he added.

NEW DELHI: The Government has moved for discussion in the Rajya Sabha the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 that is aimed at royalty to musicians and lyricists which was allowed only for music companies or film producers.

Though the amendment bill had been introduced in the Rajya Sabha in April last year to overwrite the bill of 1957, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has now brought to the house the amendments made by the Government after the review by the Standing Committee.

According to the amendments approved by the cabinet, the director of a film will have no copyright claims over the film.

The cabinet approved the HRD ministry?s proposal to delete a clause in the Copyright Bill which allowed the film director to claim copyright over the film along with the producer and the author.

The bill proposed that the producer and the principal director shall be treated jointly as the first owner of copyright.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee had recommended that the clause should be deleted following objections raised by film producers, a decision endorsed by the Cabinet.

The union cabinet accepted another recommendation of the standing committee to allow access of material protected under copyright free of cost to disabled persons.

NEW DELHI: Thespian Om Puri became the victim of privilege motions in both houses of Parliament for making comments against members of Parliament when he went to Ram Lila Maidan last week in support of social activist Anna Hazare.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said she had received question of privilege dated 27 August from ten MPs of different parties against Puri for ?allegedly using derogatory and defamatory words against members of Parliament and casting reflections on the House.?

She said that the matter was under her consideration.

In the Rajya Sabha, two members gave similar privilege notices against Puri, and against former cop Kiran Bedi and lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

Reacting to the notices, Puri told indiantelevision.com that he was sorry if his remarks were considered defamatory, and was prepared to face the Privileges Committee and say so.

However, he said the remarks of one Member of Parliament that he was drunk when he spoke had also hurt him, but he was unable to act as MPs enjoyed Parliamentary privilege for they said inside the houses of Parliament.

He said he had problems with his knees and needed some help in climbing and had, therefore, leaned on a step to climb the rostrum at Ram Lila Maidan, but that did not mean he was drunk.