COPYRIGHT
Copyright is the most pervasive, inclusive and freely accessible intellectual property right. One may go so far as to call it the ‘people’s right’, for the contemporaneous and automatic protection it affords to all original creations.
The Copyright Act protects original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, cinematograph films, sound recordings and much more besides. Copyright registration is not mandatory for protection, but is recommended for certain kinds of works for their better enforcement. Pakistan is a signatory to several international treaties including the Berne Convention; copyright protections are thus equally available to works created by foreign nationals in Convention countries.
Lately, copyright legislation and copyright common law have appeared to tug at divergent trends with legislation seeking to secure greater rights for the right holder and courts interpreting a less onerous and restrictive exclusivity arising from copyright. Regardless, protecting and enforcing copyright in this digital century is presenting, and will continue to pose, ever more complex challenges for rights holders and will require a rethink of business models.
Copyright work is not mandatory for registration. However, obtaining registration certificate from the registrar of copyright will give an immense benefit as in case of infringement of copyrighted work, the registration would be your prime evidence to establish that the holder of registration certificate is the real owner/creator of the copyright. In absence of registration, the ownership of copyright work may be proved but it will create difficulties.
The firm caters to all stakeholders of the creative communities including individual artists and authors, rights managers, publishers, IT companies, producers and broadcasters, etc. We have played a pivotal role in the development of copyright jurisprudence in the country including landmark cases on moral rights, fair dealing, compulsory licensing, copyright in characters and assisting in the formation of collecting societies.
Our services include copyright prosecution and registration, licensing and assignment, contract negotiation and drafting, due diligence, clearances and regulatory compliances, dispute resolution and enforcement.
Relevant Links:
