New updates on the 1957 Copyright Act of India
India, as well as the rest of the world, is currently undergoing a significant change in the digital era. However, although most people have adapted to the changes, the same can’t be said about the laws, the regulations, and the foundation that built up India’s society. Accordingly, to be aligned with Digital India and the New Education Policy 2020, as well as the trending of the world, this country needs to have new updates on the 1957 Copyright Act of India.
Inclusive digital education is being pursued by academians from the city of Pune in India. According to them, to achieve this goal, the fundamental changes to the 1957 Copyright Act of India must be conducted, aligning with India’s initiatives such as Digital India and the New Education Policy 2020.
The amendments should be focused on the technological and infrastructural changes in connection with inclusive digital education.
The Digital India initiative was announced by the government back on July 1, 2015, to push for the country’s economic advancement, creating a digitalized and connected India.
On the other hand, the New Education Policy 2020 aims to make education in India accessible, equitable, and inclusive from preschool to secondary level.
According to an article in The Times of India, the amendments to the Copyright Act of India should prioritize the opening of educational resources, digitization of resource materials and their sharing/lending, text and data mining, procurement of e-resources and their sharing, digitally supported teaching activities including distance learning, reproduction of resources and their distribution, communication to the public, licensing options, among others.
For many, as seen by the rapid development of new technology aspects such as Web 3.0, blockchain, NFTs, etc., the government of India should also include a clear definition of these aspects in the Copyright Act as well as create a guideline to deal with the potential problems arise from such aspects.
In addition, as India was one of the most damaged countries in the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the digitalization on the national scale to reduce the physical interaction between people and people while at the same time, connecting them, is needed more than ever.
Expert opinions
Savitha K. Jagadeesan, senior resident partner at Kochhar & Co. in Chennai stated about the new updates on the 1957 Copyright Act of India: “It is important for us to revisit the laws to see if the present Act does address the technology and the new means of interaction. The need to reinvent is the mantra that is required for anyone or anything to stand the test of time and the same is the case for our laws. The present Copyright Act too would require to be amended to accommodate the digital technological advancements and policy changes.”
Discussing the impacts of the new technology fields such as NFTs, blockchain, etc., Jagadeesan said: “With the new online mode of teaching and startups which have spearheaded and changed the game, there is a rising demand to protect the creative elements in the teaching programs. However, for this to be addressed, the present Act requires to acknowledge the new mediums. Copyright protection and changes to encapsulate the same are not only academic-oriented. The call is more due to changing technologies such as NFTs, blockchain, AI that require the laws of IP are revisited to see the extent of protection that is being provided.”
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