Copyright registration is a procedure of providing the legal ownership for an original work to its owner. It is an excellent way to protect your work from plagiarism and infringement and offers yo the ability to save it in any form with the help of electronic methods.

Copyright is a significant tool to protect a different range of creative and original works. The  Registrar of Copyrights is divided into six different categories. Here are the details of these categories –

• Artistic Works: Visual creations such as paintings, sculptures, drawings, and other artistic expressions enjoy copyright protection.
• Cinematography Films: Copyright extends to films, ensuring the protection of audiovisual works.
• Computer Programs, Tables, and Compilations: Software, data compilations, and tables are safeguarded by copyright, ensuring the protection of digital innovations.
• Literary Works (Excluding Computer Programs): This category encompasses many written creations, from novels and poetry to essays, articles, and more.
• Musical Works: Musical compositions, including melodies, lyrics, and sheet music, fall under this category.
• Sound Recordings: This category covers the audio recordings of music, speeches, and various other sound-based creations.

Copyright registration provides a few significant benefits to intellectual property owners and creators. Here are the details –

• Protecting the Owner: Copyright registration offers its owners exclusive rights for their work, such as its distribution, reproduction, modification, and translation.
• Owner Visibility: It highlights the work profile of the owner, which makes it searchable in copyright registries and accessible at the global level. It also safeguards from unauthorized access after its registration.
• Legal Protection: Creators receive various legal protections related to copyright registration and ensure that no one can publish their work without proper permission.
• Global Reach: Copyright protection has a global reach and provides the same protection you receive in one country.
• Enhancing Brand Value: It acts as proof of ownership and furnishes the owner to access it for marketing purposes, thus enhancing the brand value.
• Copyright as an Asset: Copyrights are a valuable intellectual property asset that can be licensed or even sold for financial purposes.

A copyright owner receives a huge range of legal rights for his work after copyright registration. Here are the details –

• Claiming Authorship
• Reproduction and Storage of the work
• Control Over Publication
• Public Performance and Communication
• Protecting Reputation
• Selling or transferring copyright rights

Copyright registration is a structured process that includes the below-mentioned steps –

1. Visit the official website

Go to the Official portal of the Copyright Office. 

Log in with your registered user ID and password. If you are a new user, then click on the “New User
Registration” option for registering.

2. Submission of Application

After a successful login, click on the link “Online Copyright Registration”. The online “Copyright Registration Form” needs to be completed in the following steps –

• Enter the details in Form XIV, then click on the option “SAVE” to save the details.
• Arrange a scanned copy of your signature for uploading on the portal.
• Upload the “Statement of Particulars” and click on the option “SAVE” to save all the details.
• Enter the “Statement of Further Particulars. This form implements to “MUSICAL, ARTISTIC, LITERARY/DRAMATIC AND SOFTWARE” works. Click on the “SAVE” option to save your
  details and then proceed.
• Pay the relevant fees to the copyright registrar. You can use the internet payment methods for making payment.
• Every application should be signed by power of attorney.

3. Dairy Number Issuance

The registrar issues a Dairy number after receiving the application that indicates the starting of the copyright registration process. Additionally, any potential objection that can be submitted may be
subjected to a 30-day waiting period. At last, the owner should print one hard copy of the “Copyright
Registration Form” and “Acknowledgement Slip”; and should be sent by post to the following address:

• Copyright Division
• Department For Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
• Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Boudhik Sampada Bhawan,
• Plot No. 32, Sector 14, Dwarka, New Delhi-110078
• Email Address: copyright[at]nic[dot]in
•  Telephone No.: 011-28032496

4. Copy Right Objection Handling

Within 30 days, if no objection is raised, a scrutinizer will review the application for any mismatch. If there are no differences, the registration process will move on, and the registrar will receive an extract for making entry into the Register of Copyright.

5. Objection Resolution

On receiving any objections, both parties will get a notification from the examiner that explains the objections. A hearing will be fixed to resolve these objections.

6. Application Scrutiny

After the hearing and the settling of objections, the scrutinizer will precisely check the application if it is valid. Afterward, he will either reject or approve the application, based on the particular circumstances.

7. Get a Copyright Registration Certificate

Finally, the concerned authority will issue the copyright registration certificate to the owner. The entire process usually takes 2 to 3 months to complete.