EXTRACTS FROM THE COPY RIGHT ACT, 1957 (14 OF 1957)
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Interpretation.
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
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(aa) “Appellate Board” means the Appellate Board referred to in section 11;
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(u) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act.
Certain disputes to be decided by Appellate Board.
6. If any question arises-
(a) whether a work has been published or as to the date on which a work was published for the purposes of Chapter V, or
(b) whether the term of copyright for any work is shorter in any other country than that provided in respect of that work under this Act, it shall be referred to the Appellate Board constituted under section 11 whose decision thereon shall be final:
Provided that if in the opinion of the Appellate Board, the issue of copies or communication to the public referred to in section 3 was of an insignificant nature, it shall not be deemed to be publication for the purposes of that section.
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CHAPTER II
COPYRIGHT OFFICE AND A BOARD
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Appellate Board.
11. (1) The Appellate Board established under section 83 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 (47 of 1999.) shall, on and from the commencement of Part XIV of Chapter VI of the Finance Act, 2017 (7 of 2017.), be the Appellate Board for the purposes of this Act and the said Appellate Board shall exercise the jurisdiction, powers and authority conferred on it by or under this Act.
Powers and procedure of Appellate Board.
12. (1) The Appellate Board shall, subject to any rules that may be made under this Act, have power to regulate its own procedure, including the fixing of places and times of its sittings:
Provided that the Appellate Board shall ordinarily hear any proceeding instituted before it under this Act within the zone in which, at the time of the institution of the proceeding, the person instituting the proceeding actually and voluntarily resides or carries on business or personally works for gain.
Explanation.-In this sub-section “zone” means a zone specified in section 15 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (37 of 1956.).
(2) The Appellate Board may exercise and discharge its powers and functions through Benches constituted by the Chairman of the Appellate Board from amongst its members:
Provided that, if the Chairman is of opinion that any matter of importance is required to be heard by a larger bench, he may refer the matter to a special bench consisting of five members.
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(5) No member of the Appellate Board shall take part in any proceedings before the Board in respect of any matter in which he has a personal interest. Interpretation.
(6) No act done or proceeding taken by the Appellate Board under this Act shall be questioned on the ground merely of the existence of any vacancy in, or defect in the constitution of, the Board.
(7) The Appellate Board shall be deemed to be a civil court for the purposes of sections 345 and 346 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974.) and all proceedings before the Board shall be deemed to be judicial proceedings within the meaning of sections 193 and 228 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860.).
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Disputes with respect to assignment of copyright.
19A. (1) If an assignee fails to make sufficient exercise of the rights assigned to him, and such failure is not attributable to any act or omission of the assignor, then, the Appellate Board may, on receipt of a complaint from the assignor and after holding such inquiry as it may deem necessary, revoke such assignment.
(2) If any dispute arises with respect to the assignment of any copyright, the Appellate Board may, on receipt of a complaint from the aggrieved party and after holding such inquiry as it considers necessary, pass such order as it may deem fit including an order for the recovery of any royalty payable:
Provided that the Appellate Board shall not pass any order under this sub-section to revoke the assignment unless it is satisfied that the terms of assignment are harsh to the assignor in case the assignor is also the author:
Provided further that, pending the disposal of an application for revocation of assignment under this sub-section, the Appellate Board may pass such order, as it deems fit regarding implementation of the terms and conditions of assignment including any consideration to be paid for the enjoyment of the rights assigned:
Provided also that, no order of revocation of assignment under this sub-section, shall be made within a period of five years from the date of such assignment.
(3) Every complaint received under sub-section (2) shall be dealt with by the Appellate Board as far as possible and efforts shall be made to pass the final order in the matter within a period of six months from the date of receipt of the complaint and any delay in compliance of the same, the Appellate Board shall record the reasons thereof.
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Term of copyright in anonymous and pseudonymous works.
23. (1) In the case of literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work (other than a photograph), which is published anonymously or pseudonymously, copyright shall subsist until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the work is first published:
Provided that where the identity of the author is disclosed before the expiry of the said period, copyright shall subsist until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the author dies.
(2) In sub-section (1), references to the author shall, in the case of an anonymous work of joint horship, be construed,-
(a) where the identity of one of the authors is disclosed, as references to that author;
(b) where the identity of more authors than one is disclosed, as references to the author who dies last from amongst such authors.
(3) In sub-section (1), references to the author shall, in the case of a pseudonyms work of joint authorship, be construed,-
(a) where the names of one or more (but not all) of the authors are pseudonyms and his or their identity is not disclosed, as references to the author whose name is not a pseudonym, or, if the names of two or more of the authors are not pseudonyms, as references to such of those authors who dies last;
(b) where the names of one or more (but not all) of the authors are pseudonyms and the identity of one or more of them is disclosed, as references to the author who dies last from amongst the authors whose names are not pseudonyms and the authors whose names are pseudonyms and are disclosed; and
(c) where the names of all the authors are pseudonyms and the identity of one of them is disclosed, as references to the author whose identity is disclosed or if the identity of two or more of such authors is disclosed, as references to such of those authors who dies last.
Explanation.-For the purposes of this section, the identity of an author shall be deemed to have been disclosed, if either the identity of the author is disclosed publicly by both the author and the publisher or is otherwise established to the satisfaction of the Appellate Board by that author.
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Compulsory licence in works withheld from public.
31. (1) If at any time during the term of copyright in any work which has been published or performed in public, a complaint is made to the Appellate Board that the owner of copyright in the work-
(a) has refused to republish or allow the republication of the work or has refused to allow the performance in public of the work, and by reason of such refusal the work is withheld from the public; or
(b) has refused to allow communication to the public by broadcast of such work or in the case a sound recording the work recorded in such sound recording, on terms which the complainant considers reasonable, the Appellate Board, after giving to the owner of the copyright in the work a reasonable opportunity of being heard and after holding such inquiry as it may deem necessary, may, if it is satisfied that the grounds for such refusal are not reasonable, direct the Registrar of Copyrights to grant to the complainant a licence to republish the work, perform the work in public or communicate the work to the public by broadcast, as the case may be, subject to payment to the owner of the copyright of such compensation and subject to such other terms and conditions as the Appellate Board may determine; and thereupon the Registrar of Copyrights shall grant the licence to such person or persons who, in the opinion of the Appellate Board, is or are qualified to do so in accordance with the directions of the Appellate Board, on payment of such fee as may be prescribed.
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Compulsory licence in unpublished or published works.
31A. (1) Where, in the case of any unpublished work or any work published or communicated to the public and the work is withheld from the public in India, the author is dead or unknown or cannot be traced, or the owner of the copyright in such work cannot be found, any person may apply to the Appellate Board for a licence to publish or communicate to the public such work or a translation thereof in any language.
(2) Before making an application under sub-section (1), the applicant shall publish his proposal in one issue of a daily newspaper in the English language having circulation in the major part of the country and where the application is for the publication of a translation in any language, also in one issue of any daily newspaper in that language.
(3) Every such application shall be made in such form as may be prescribed and shall be accompanied with a copy of the advertisement issued under sub-section (2) and such fee as may be prescribed.
(4) Where an application is made to the Appellate Board under this section, it may after holding such inquiry as may be prescribed, direct the Registrar of Copyrights to grant to the applicant a licence to publish the work or a translation thereof in the language mentioned in the application subject to the payment of such royalty and subject to such other terms and conditions as the Appellate Board may determine, and thereupon the Registrar of Copyrights shall grant the licence to the applicant in accordance with the direction of the Appellate Board.
(5) Where a licence is granted under this section, the Registrar of Copyrights may, by order, direct the applicant to deposit the amount of the royalty determined by the Appellate Board in the public account of India or in any other account specified by the Appellate Board so as to enable the owner of the copyright or, as the case may be, his heirs, executors or the legal representatives to claim such royalty at any time.
(6) Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions of this section, in the case of a work referred to in sub-section (1), if the original author is dead, the Central Government may, if it considers that the publication of the work is desirable in the national interest, require the heirs, executors or legal representatives of the author to publish such work within such period as may be specified by it.
(7) Where any work is not published within the period specified by the Central Government under sub-section (6), the Appellate Board may, on an application made by any person for permission to publish the work and after hearing the parties concerned, permit such publication on payment of such royalty as the Appellate Board may, in the circumstances of such case, determine in the prescribed manner.
Compulsory licence for benefit of disabled.
31B. (1) Any person working for the benefit of persons with disability on a profit basis or for business may apply to the Appellate Board, in such form and manner and accompanied by such fee as may be prescribed, for a compulsory licence to published any work in which copyright subsists for the benefit of such persons, in a case to which clause (zb) of sub-section (1) of section 52 does not apply and the Appellate Board shall dispose of such application within a period of two months from the receipt of the application.
(2) The Appellate Board may, on receipt of an application under sub-section (1), inquire, or direct such inquiry as it considers necessary to establish the credentials of the applicant and satisfy itself that the application has been made in good faith.
(3) If the Appellate Board is satisfied, after giving to the owners of rights in the work a reasonable opportunity of being heard and after holding such inquiry as it may deem necessary, that a compulsory licence needs to be issued to make the work available to the disabled, it may direct the Registrar of Copyright to grant to the applicant such a licence to publish the work.
(4) Every compulsory licence issued under this section shall specify the means and format of publication, the period during which the compulsory licence may be exercised and, in the case of issue of copies, the number of copies that may be issued including the rate or royalty:
Provided that where the Appellate Board issued such a compulsory licence it may, on a further application and after giving reasonable opportunity to the owners of rights, extend the period of such compulsory licence and allow the issue of more copies as it may deem fit.
Statutory licence for cover versions.
31C. (1) Any person desirous of making a cover version, being a sound recording in respect of any literary, dramatic or musical work, where sound recordings of that work have been made by or with the licence or consent of the owner of the right in the work, may do so subject to the provisions of this section:
Provided that such sound recordings shall be in the same medium as the last recording, unless the medium of the last recording is no longer in current commercial use.
(2) The person making the sound recordings shall give prior notice of his intention to make the sound recordings in the manner as may be prescribed, and provide in advance copies of all covers or labels with which the sound recordings are to be sold, and pay in advance, to the owner of rights in each work royalties in respect of all copies to be made by him, at the rate fixed by the Appellate Board in this behalf:
Provided that such sound recordings shall not be sold or issued in any form of packaging or with any cover or label which is likely to mislead or confuse the public as to their identity, and in particular shall not contain the name or depict in any way any performer of an earlier sound recording of the same work or any cinematograph film in which sound recording was incorporated and, further, shall state on the cover that it is a cover version made under this section.
(3) The person making such sound recordings shall not make any alteration in the literary or musical work which has not been made previously by or with the consent of the owner of rights, or which is not technically necessary for the purpose of making the sound recordings:
Provided that such sound recordings shall not be made until the expiration of five calendar years after the end of the year in which the first sound recordings of the work was made.
(4) One royalty in respect of such sound recordings shall be paid for a minimum of fifty thousand copies of each work during each calendar year in which copies of it are made:
Provided that the Appellate Board may, by general order, fix a lower minimum in respect of works in a particular language or dialect having regard to the potential circulation of such works.
(5) The person making such sound recordings shall maintain such registers and books of account in respect thereof, including full details of existing stock as may be prescribed and shall allow the owner of rights or his duly authorised agent or representative to inspect all records and books of account relating to such sound recording:
Provided that if on a complaint brought before the Appellate Board to the effect that the owner of rights has not been paid in full for any sound recordings purporting to be made in pursuance of this section, the Appellate Board is, prima facie, satisfied that the complaint is genuine, it may pass an order ex parte directing the person making the sound recording to cease from making further copies and, after holding such inquiry as it considers necessary, make such further order as it may deem fit, including an order for payment of royalty.
Explanation.-For the purposes of this section “cover version” means a sound recording made in accordance with this section.
Statutory licence for broadcasting of literary and musical works and sound recording.
31D. (1) Any broadcasting organisation desirous of communicating to the public by way of a broadcast or by way of performance of a literary or musical work and sound recording which has already been published may do so subject to the provisions of this section.
(2) The broadcasting organisation shall give prior notice, in such manner as may be prescribed, of its intention to broadcast the work stating the duration and territorial coverage of the broadcast, and shall pay to the owner of rights in each work royalties in the manner and at the rate fixed by the Appellate Board.
(3) The rates of royalties for radio broadcasting shall be different from television broadcasting and the Appellate Board shall fix separate rates for radio broadcasting and television broadcasting.
(4) In fixing the manner and the rate of royalty under sub-section (2), the Appellate Board may require the broadcasting organisation to pay an advance to the owners of rights.
(5) The names of the authors of the principal performers of the work shall, except in case of the broadcasting organisation communicating such work by way of performance, be announced with the broadcast.
(6) No fresh alteration to any literary or musical work, which is not technically necessary for the purpose of broadcasting, other than shortening the work for convenience of broadcast, shall be made without the consent of the owners of rights.
(7) The broadcasting organisation shall-
(a) maintain such records and books of account, and render to the owners of rights such reports and accounts; and
(b) allow the owner of rights or his duly authorised agent or representative to inspect all records and books of account relating to such broadcast, in such manner as may be prescribed.
(8) Nothing in this section shall affect the operation of any licence issued or any agreement entered into before the commencement of the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012 (27 of 2012.).
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Licence to produce and published translations.
32. (1) Any person may apply to the Appellate Board for a licence to produce and publish a translation of a literary or dramatic work in any language after a period of seven years from the first publication of the work.
(1A) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), any person may apply to the Appellate Board for a licence to produce and publish a translation, in printed or analogous forms of reproduction, of a literary or dramatic work, other than an Indian work, in any language in general use in India after a period of three years from the first publication of such work, if such translation is required for the purposes of teaching, scholarship or research:
Provided that where such translation is in a language not in general use in any developed country, such application may be made after a period of one year from such publication.
(2) Every application under this section shall be made in such form as may be prescribed and shall state the proposed retail price of a copy of the translation of the work.
(3) Every applicant for a licence under this section shall, along with his application, deposit with the Registrar of Copyrights such fee as may be prescribed.
(4) Where an application is made to the Appellate Board under this section, it may, after holding such inquiry as may be prescribed, grant to the applicant a licence, not being an exclusive licence, to produce and publish a translation of the work in the language mentioned in the application-
(i) subject to the condition that the applicant shall pay to the owner of the copyright in the work royalties in respect of copies of the translation of the work sold to the public, calculated at such rate as the Appellate Board may, in the circumstances of each case, determine in the prescribed manner; and
(ii) where such licence is granted on an application under sub-section (1A), subject also to the condition that the licence shall not extend to the export of copies of the translation of the work outside India and every copy of such translation shall contain a notice in the language of such translation that the copy is available for distribution only in India:
Provided that nothing in clause (ii) shall apply to the export by Government or any authority under the Government of copies of such translation in a language other than English, French or Spanish or to any country if-
(1) such copies are sent to citizens of India residing outside India or to any association of such citizens outside India; or
(2) such copies are meant to be used for purposes of teaching, scholarship or research and not for any commercial purpose; and
(3) in either case, the permission for such export has been given by the Government of that country:
Provided further that no licence under this section shall be granted, unless-
(a) a translation of the work in the language mentioned in the application has not been published by the owner of the copyright in the work or any person authorised by him, within seven years or three years or one year, as the case may be, of the first publication of the work, or if a translation has been so published, it has been out of print;
(b) the applicant has proved to the satisfaction of the Appellate Board that he had requested and had been denied authorisation by the owner of the copyright to produce and publish such translation, or that he was, after due diligence on his part, unable to find the owner of the copyright;
(c) where the applicant was unable to find the owner of the copyright, he had sent a copy of his request for such authorisation by registered air mail post to the publisher whose name appears from the work, and in the case of an application for a licence under sub-section (1), not less than two months before such application;
(cc) a period of six months in the case of an application under sub-section (1A) (not being an application under the proviso thereto), or nine months in the case of an application under the proviso to that subsection, has elapsed from the date of making the request under clause (b) of this proviso or where a copy of the request has been sent under clause (c) of this proviso, from the date of sending of such copy, and the translation of the work in the language mentioned in the application has not been published by the owner of the copyright in the work or any person authorised by him within the said period of six months or nine months, as the case may be;
(ccc) in the case of any application made under sub-section (1A)-
(i) the name of the author and the title of the particular edition of the work proposed to be translated are printed on all the copies of the translation;
(ii) if the work is composed mainly of illustrations, the provisions of section 32A are also complied with;
(d) the Appellate Board is satisfied that the applicant is competent to produce and publish a correct translation of the work and possesses the means to pay to the owner of the copyright the royalties payable to him under this section;
(e) the author has not withdrawn from circulation copies of the work; and
(f) an opportunity of being heard is given, wherever practicable, to the owner of the copyright in the work.
(4) Any broadcasting authority may apply to the Appellate Board for a licence to produce and publish the translation of-
(a) a work referred to in sub-section (1A) and published in printed or analogous forms of reproduction; or
(b) any text incorporated in audio-visual fixations prepared and published solely for the purpose of systematic instructional activities, for broadcasting such translation for the purposes of teaching or for the dissemination of the results of specialised, technical or scientific research to the experts in any particular field.
(5) The provisions of sub-sections (2) to (4) in so far as they are relatable to an application under sub-section (1A), shall, with the necessary modifications, apply to the grant of a licence under sub-section (5) and such licence shall not also be granted unless-
(a) the translation is made from a work lawfully acquired;
(b) the broadcast is made through the medium of sound and visual recordings;
(c) such recording has been lawfully and exclusively made for the purpose of broadcasting in India by the applicant or by other broadcasting agency; and
(d) the translation and the broadcasting of such translation are not used for any commercial purposes.
Explanation.-For the purposes of this section,-
(a) “developed country” means a country which is not a developing country;
(b) “developing country” means a country which is for the time being regarded as such in conformity with the practice of the General Assembly of the United Nations;
(c) “purposes of research” does not include purposes of industrial research, or purposes of research by bodies corporate (not being bodies corporate owned or controlled by Government) or other association or body of persons for commercial purposes;
(d) “purposes of teaching, research or scholarship” includes-
(i) purposes of instructional activity at all levels in educational, institutions, including Schools, Colleges, Universities and tutorial institutions; and
(ii) purposes of all other types of organised educational activity.
Licence to reproduce and publish works for certain purposes.
32A. (1) Where, after the expiration of the relevant period from the date of the first publication of an edition of a literary, scientific or artistic work,-
(a) the copies of such edition are not made available in India; or
(b) such copies have not been put on sale in India for a period of six months,
to the public, or in connection with systematic instructional activities at a price reasonably related to that normally charged in India for comparable works by the owner of the right of reproduction or by any person authorised by him in this behalf, any person may apply to the Appellate Board for a licence to reproduce and publish such work in printed or analogous forms of reproduction at the price at which such edition is sold or at a lower price for the purposes of systematic instructional activities.
(2) Every such application shall be made in such form as may be prescribed and shall state the proposed retail price of a copy of the work to be reproduced.
(3) Every applicant for a licence under this section shall, along with his application, deposit with the Registrar of Copyrights such fee as may be prescribed.
(4) Where an application is made to the Appellate Board under this section, it may, after holding such inquiry as may be prescribed, grant to the applicant a licence, not being an exclusive licence, to produce and publish a reproduction of the work mentioned in the application subject to the conditions that,-
(i) the applicant shall pay to the owner of the copyright in the work royalties in respect of copies of the reproduction of the work sold to the public, calculated at such rate as the Appellate Board may, in the circumstances of each case, determine in the prescribed manner;
(ii) a licence granted under this section shall not extend to the export of copies of the reproduction of the work outside India and every copy of such reproduction shall contain a notice that the copy is available for distribution only in India:
Provided that no such licence shall be granted unless-
(a) the applicant has proved to the satisfaction of the Appellate Board that he had requested and had been denied authorisation by the owner of the copyright in the work to reproduce and publish such work or that he was, after due diligence on his part, unable to find such owner;
(b) where the applicant was unable to find the owner of the copyright, he had sent a copy of his request for such authorisation by registered air-mail post to the publisher whose name appears from the work not less than three months before the application for the licence;
(c) the Appellate Board is satisfied that the applicant is competent to reproduce and publish an accurate reproduction of the work and possesses the means to pay the owner of the copyright the royalties payable to him under this section;
(d) the applicant undertakes to reproduce and publish the work at such price as may be fixed by the Appellate Board, being a price reasonably related to the price normally charged in India for works of the same standard on the same or similar subjects;
(e) a period of six months in the case of an application for the reproduction and publication of any work of natural science, physical science, mathematics or technology, or a period of three months in the case of an application for the reproduction and publication of any other work, has elapsed from the date of making the request under clause (a), or where a copy of the request has been sent under clause (b), from the date of sending of a copy, and a reproduction of the work has not been published by the owner of the copyright in the work or any person authorised by him within the said period of six months or, three months, as the case may be;
(f) the name of the author and the title of the particular edition of the work proposed to be reproduced are printed on all the copies of the reproduction;
(g) the author has not withdrawn from circulation copies of the work; and
(h) an opportunity of being heard is given, wherever practicable, to the owner of the copyright in the work.
(5) No licence to reproduce and publish the translation of a work shall be granted under this section unless such translation has been published by the owner of the right of translation or any person authorised by him and the translation is not in a language in general use in India.
(6) The provisions of this section shall also apply to the reproduction and publication, or translation into a language in general use in India, of any text incorporated in audiovisual fixations prepared and published solely for the purpose of systematic instructional activities.
Explanation.-For the purpose of this section, “relevant period”, in relation to any work, means a period of-
(a) seven years from the date of the first publication of that work, where the application is for the reproduction and publication of any work of, or relating to, fiction, poetry, drama, music or art;
(b) three years from the date of the first publication of that work, where the application is for the reproduction and publication of any work of, or relating to, natural science, physical science, mathematics or technology; and
(c) five years from the date of the first publication of that work, in any other case.
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Tariff Scheme by copyright societies.
33A. (1) Every copyright society shall publish its tariff scheme in such manner as may be prescribed.
(2) Any person who is aggrieved by the tariff scheme may appeal to the Appellate Board and the Board may, it satisfied after holding such inquiry as it may consider necessary, make such orders as may be required to remove any unreasonable element, anomaly or inconsistency therein:
Provided that the aggrieved person shall pay to the copyright society any fee as may be prescribed that has fallen due before making an appeal to the Appellate Board and shall continue to pay such fee until the appeal is decided, and the Board shall not issue any order staying the collection of such fee pending disposal of the appeal:
Provided further that the Appellate Board may after hearing the parties fix an interim tariff and direct the aggrieved parties to make the payment according pending disposal of the appeal.
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Rectification of Register by Appellate Board.
50. The Appellate Board, on application of the Registrar of Copyrights or of any person aggrieved, shall order the rectification of the Register of Copyrights by-
(a) the making of any entry wrongly omitted to be made in the register, or
(b) the expunging of any entry wrongly made in, or remaining on, the register, or
(c) the correction of any error or defect in the register.
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Resale share right in original copies.
53A. (1) In the case of resale for a price exceeding ten thousand rupees, of the original copy of a painting, sculpture or drawing, or of the original manuscript of a literary or dramatic work or musical work, the author of such work if he was the first owner of rights under section 17 or his legal heirs shall, notwithstanding any assignment of copyright in such work, have a right to share in the resale price of such original copy or manuscript in accordance with the provisions of this section:
Provided that such right shall cease to exist on the expiration of the term of copyright in the work.
(2) The share referred to in sub-section (1) shall be such as the Appellate Board may fix and the decision of the Appellate Board in this behalf shall be final:
Provided that the Appellate Board may fix different shares for different classes of work:
Provided further that in no case shall the share exceed ten percent, of the resale price.
(3) If any dispute arises regarding the right conferred by this section, it shall be referred to the Appellate Board whose decision shall be final.
CHAPTER XII
CIVIL REMEDIES
Definition.
54. For the purposes of this Chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, the expression “owner of copyright” shall include-
(a) an exclusive licensee;
(b) in the case of an anonymous or pseudonymous literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, the publisher of the work, until the identity of the author or, in the case of an anonymous work of joint authorship, or a work of joint authorship published under names all of which are pseudonyms, the identity of any of the authors, is disclosed publicly by the author and the publisher or is otherwise establishment to the satisfaction of the Appellate Board by that author or his legal representatives.
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Appeals against orders of Registrar of Copyrights and Appellate Board.
72. (1) Any person aggrieved by any final decision or order of the Registrar of Copyrights may, within three months from the date of the order or decision, appeal to the Appellate Board.
(2) Any person aggrieved by any final decision or order of the Appellate Board, not being a decision or order made in an appeal under sub-section (1), may, within three months from the date of such decision or order, appeal to the High Court within whose jurisdiction the appellant actually and voluntarily resides or carries on business or personally works for gain:
Provided that no such appeal shall lie against a decision of the Appellate Board under section 6.
(3) In calculating the period of three months provided for an appeal under this section, the time taken in granting a certified copy of the order or record of the decision appealed against shall be excluded.
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CHAPTER XV
MISCELLANEOUS
Registrar of Copyrights and Appellate Board to possess certain powers of civil courts.
74. The Registrar of Copyrights and the Appellate Board shall have the powers of a civil court when trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908.), in respect of the following matters, namely, -
(a) summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath;
(b) requiring the discovery and production of any document;
(c) receiving evidence on affidavits;
(d) issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses or documents;
(e) requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office;
(f) any other matter which may be prescribed.
Explanation.-For the purpose of enforcing the attendance of witnesses, the local limits of the jurisdiction of the Registrar of Copyrights or the Appellate Board, as the case may be, shall be the limits of the territory of India.
Orders for payment of money passed by Registrar of Copyrights and Appellate Board to be executable as a decree.
75. Every order made by the Registrar of Copyrights or the Appellate Board under this Act for the payment of any money or by the High Court in any appeal against any such order of the Appellate Board shall, on a certificate issued by the Registrar of Copyrights, the Appellate Board or the Registrar of the High Court, as the case may be, be deemed to be a decree of a civil court and shall be executable in the same manner as a decree of such court.
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Certain persons to be public servants.
77. Every officer appointed under this Act and every member of the Appellate Board shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860.).
Power to make rules.
78. (1) * * * *
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, the Central Government may make rules to provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:-
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(cA) the form and manner in which an organisation may apply to the Appellate Board for compulsory licence for disabled and the fee which may accompany such application under sub-section 31B;
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(ccB) the fee which is to be paid before filing an appeal to the Appellate Board under sub-section (2) of section 33A;
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(f) the matters in respect of which the Registrar of Copyrights and the Appellate Board shall have powers of a civil court;
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Repeals, savings and transitional provisions.
79. (1) * * * *
(2) Where any person has, before the commencement of this Act, taken any action whereby he has incurred any expenditure or liabilities in connection with the reproduction or performance of any work in a manner which at the time was lawful or for the purpose of or with a view to the reproduction or performance of a work at a time when such reproduction or performance would, but for the coming into force of this Act, have been lawful, nothing in this section shall diminish or prejudice any rights or interests arising from or in connection with such action which are subsisting and valuable at the said date, unless the person who, by virtue of this Act, becomes entitled to restrain such reproduction or performance, agrees to pay such compensation as, failing agreement, may be determined by the Appellate Board.
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