© Copyright of Television serials

Television serials are protected under Copyright Act, 1957 as a ‘cinematographic work’. 

* S 13 (1) of the Copyright Act, 1957 states that Copyright subsists in cinematograph films.  

‘Cinematograph film’ means any work of visual recording on any medium produced through a process from which a moving image may be produced by any means and includes a sound recording accompanying such visual recording and ‘Cinematograph’ shall be construed as including any work produced by any process analogous to cinematograph including video films”.

* According to S.  2 (d) (v), the author of the cinematograph film is the producer. Copyright in cinematograph film:

* Under S. 14 (d), the author of a cinematograph film in which the copyright subsists has the following exclusive rights:

(i) to make a copy of the film, including a photograph of any image forming part thereof; (ii) to sell or give on hire, or offer for sale or hire, any copy of the film, regardless of whether such copy has been sold or given on hire on earlier occasions; (iii) to communicate the film to the public;

(e) In the case of sound recording, -

(i) to make any other sound recording embodying it; (ii) to sell or give on hire, or offer for sale or hire, any copy of the sound recording regardless of whether such copy has been sold or given on hire on earlier occasions; (iii) to communicate the sound recording to the public.

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Television serials are in demand these days. Let it be saas-bahu types, comedy or reality show, everything on television is getting popular these days. Bollywood stars are even jumping into small screen projects, as it gives them more popularity, and eventually this channels gets boast of it. Everyone is in the race of acquiring name, money, fame, popularity. Why any channel will lag behind in competition…? If any show is popular is in one channel, others try to imitate the same, just by changing the song & cast of the programme. This kind of action by television channels (producers) may land them up in trouble as it contains copyrighted work. Producers tend to take action which will increase their TRPs, but they forget that these TRPs will be of no use, when they will be in trouble. They must under that these are protected under copyright and they should understand the norms and conditions of it and shouldn’t violate it.

Copyright protection is available only to cinematograph film including the sound track. The cine artists who act in the film are not protected by copyright law for their acting.