THE COPYRIGHT (AMENDMENT) ACT, ig84
[14th September, lf}84.] . i
•. An Act further to amend'the Copyright Act, 1957.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Thirty-fifth Year of the Republic 'of India as follows:
1. (1) This Act may be called the Copyright, (Amendme.q:t) AGt, 1984; Short title and
(2) It shall come into force on such datet as the Central Government. commence ment.may, by notificathm in the Official Gazette, appoint. ·
!4 of 1957. 2. In section 2. of the .Copyright Act, 1957 {hereinafter referrea to as A.oiend the princip~l Act),- mentof
section 2. (a) in clause (f), the following ExpLanation shall be inserted
at the end, namely:
'Explanation........:F'or the. purposes of this clause, "video films'
shall also be deemed to be work produced by a process analogous
to cinematography;';
(b) after clause (h), the following clause shall bQ inserted,, namely:
'(hh) "duplicating equipment" means a.ny mechanical con~ tlivance or device used 0 r intended to be used ·for making Gopies .
of, any work;';
(c) in clause (o), for the words "and compilations", tp.e words
'', compilations 'and. computer· programmes, that is to say, program- .
mes recorded on any disc, tape, perforated media or other informa
t_ion storage device, which, if fed into or located in a comp~ter or computer based equipment, is capable of reproducing any informa
tion" shall be substituted;
(dj in clause (t), after the wol'd "negative'', the words ''. du,pli
cating equipment" shall be inserted.
1 8th Or.wbcr 1984, vide Nolilkalion No. G.S.R. 712 (E), dnted l:H0-1984, Gazette or India, Extram·diuai:y, 1984, Part II, Section 3 (i).
599
Amend ment of sec!ion ~,J.
•: '(,'!
Insertion of new
· section S2A.
Particulau to be included in records and video films.
Amend ment of section 63.
3. In section 51 of the principal Act, in clause (b);
(<J.) in sub-clause (iv)j the·brackets and words ''(except for the
•· pr'ivate and domestic u~e of the importer)" shall be omitted;
(b) the following provi-so shall be inserted at the end, namely:
"Provided that nothing in sub-clause (iv) shall apply to the
import o:f two' copies of any work, other than a cinematograph . ·
film or record, for the p;rivate and clomestic use of the importer.". ·
4. After section 52 of the principal Act the :foln( lwing section shall be' -~· inserted, namely:-
"521}. (1) No person shall publish a record in respect of any
work unless the following particulars are displayed on the record ·and o~ ·any container thereo:f, namely:
(&) the name and address of the person who has made the
Eecdrd;
· U (b) the m1nie" ani:l address of the owner of the copyright in
such work; and
(c) the year of its first publication.
(2) No person shall publish a video filn:i in re-spect of any work . .
unless the following particulars are displayed in the video film, when exhibited, and on the video cassette or other container thereof.
namely:
(a) k such worlt ·is a cinematograph film required to be certified for exhibition· under the provisions of the CiJlemate graph 'A:iit, 1952, 'a o&p~t' o:f the certificate ~gtanted~by the Board of Film Certification under section 5A of that Act. in respect of
such -work;
(b) 'the name and a·ddress of the person who has made the_ video film and a declaration by him that .he ·has tobtained the
necessary lic.ence or consent from the owner of the copyright 'in such work for making such video. film; and ·
"'·:
(c) the_ ..
nq.,l!le and .address of the owner of the copyright in " : :.~~
such work.".
5. In section 63 of the principal Act, for the' words "shall be punishable
With imprisonment which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both;', the following shall be substituted, namely:
. . "shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall
not be leS'S than six months but which may extend to three years and
OF 1984] Copyright (Amendment) 6or
with fine which shall not be less than fifty thousand rupees but which
may extend to !wo lakh rupees: \
Provided that the court may, for adequate and· special· .reasons
to be mentioned in the judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment
for a term of less than six months or a fine of less than fifty thousand
rupees".
6. After section 63 of the principal Act, the following section shall Insertion of new ~ectionbe inserted, namely:~ 63A:
"63A. Whoever having already been convicted of an offence under Enhanced penalty onsection 63 is again convicted of any such offence shall be punishable second and
for the second and for every subsequent offence, with imprisonment subsequent convictions.for a term which shall not be less than orie year. but which may
extend to three years and with fine ·which shall not be le·ss than one
lakh rupees hut which may extend to•two lakh rupees:
Provided that the court may, for adequate and special reasons to
be .mentioned in the judgment, iinpose a sentence of imprisonment for a term of less than one year or a fine of less than one lakh rupees:
Provided further that for the purposes of this section, no cog
nizance shall 'be taken of any conyiction made before the comm@nce
ment of the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1984.".
7. In section 64 of the principal Act, Amend merit of
(a) for sub-section (1), the following sub-:section shall be sub section 64. stituted, namely:
" (1) Any police officer, not below the. rarik of a sub-inspector,
may, if he is satisfied that an offence under section 6~ in respect of the infrbgement of copyright in any work has been, is being,
or is likely to be, committe'Cl., seize without warrant, all copies of
the work, and all plates used for the purpose of making infring
ing copies of the work,, wherever found, and all copies and plates
so seized shall, as soon as practicable, be produced before a
Magistrate.";
(b) in sub-section (2) ,
(i) after the words "copies of a work'', the words ", or plates,''
shall be inserted;
(ii) after the words "such · copies", the words ''or plates"
shall be inserted.
8. In section 65 of the principal Act, for the words "one year, or with Amend· ment otfine, or 'with both", the words "two years 1:ti1d l)h1;1ll <.J.lso be liable· to section
fine" shall be Sl,ll;Jst:ttuted, 6S.
Inser.tion of new section 68A.
Penalty for contraven tion of section 52A.
Amend ment of Actl2of 1914.
Copyright (Amedment)
9. After section 68 of the principal Act,. the following section shall be ·inserted, namely:
"6BA. Any person who publishes a record or a video film in
contravention of _the provisions of section 52A shall be punishable
with imprisonment which may extend to three years and shall also
be liable to fine.".
10. In the Economic Offences (Inapplicability of Limitation) Act,
1974,;....... ' {
(a) in section 2, in clause (i), after the word "enactments".. the
word;; "or provisio)1S, if .any, thereof" shall be inserted;
(b) in the Schedu\e, ~toi: entry 1 relating to tl:J.e Indianincome
tax Act, 1922, the following entry shall be inserted, :namely:~ 11 of 1922. > .
"lA•. Clause (a) of section 63 of the Copyright Act, 195-7 (14 .· of,195!7}.".