Copyright Registration in Pakistan | Copyright Registration Process | Copyright Infringements in Pakistan
Copyright Registration in Pakistan, Copyright Process & Copyright Infringements in Pakistan
Copyright Registration in Pakistan, Copyright Process & Copyright Infringements in Pakistan: Copyright protection is provided by the Copyright Office of Pakistan under the Copyright Ordinance, 1962. The purpose of this law is to make sure creators obtain economic benefits from their creations by providing them with full control over those creations. Copyright, in fact, is a bundle of rights including, inter alia, rights of reproduction, communication to the public, adaptation, and translation of the work. There could be slight variations in the composition of the rights depending on the work.
The Owner of a Copyright has the Exclusive Right of Reproduction
The owner of a copyright has the exclusive right to carry out or authorize a number of acts including reproduction of the work in any material form storing it in any medium by electronic means; issuing copies of the work to the public not being copies already in circulation; performing, showing or playing the work in public; communicating the work to the public; making any cinematography film or sound recording in respect of the work; making any translation or adaptation of the work; doing, in relation to a translation or an adaptation of the work, any act which by virtue of this section would infringe copyright if it were an original literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work.
Copyright Vests Initially with the Author or Creator
Copyright vests initially with the author/creator. The author/creator is also known as the first owner. An exception can be made when an employee creates any copyrightable work during his/her tenure at a company.
To Obtain Copyright Protection, You Require Registered Copyright in Pakistan
In order to obtain copyright protection for your artistic work, you need to get register your copyright. In Pakistan, however, copyright protection is not required in the same way that it is in other countries. As proof that your work was created first, you can keep a copy of it. If, however, you want to prevent someone from using your work without permission, registering your copyright provides additional benefits that you need to know about. Copyright Registration in Pakistan, Copyright Process & Copyright Infringements in Pakistan is a vast subject.

Application for Copyright Registration in Pakistan
The process for registering copyright begins with submitting an application form to the Copyright Office in Karachi, Lahore, or Islamabad along with two copies of the work being registered and a fee payable through a bank draft. It is also possible to file online through the e-filing portal provided.
Copyrights is About the Literary Work of Writers, Poets, and Artists
Generally, copyrights refer to the rights that writers, poets and artists have over their works. Books, music, paintings, sculptures, and film works are all covered by copyright, as well as computer programs, databases, advertisements, and maps.
Copyright Registration provides legal protection for your work in Pakistan
- Copyright provides the creator of the work legal protection from others copying or reproducing their work without permission. The law provides the owner with several exclusive rights for a limited time period, including:
Reproduce the work
Publish the work
Performing the work in public
Make an adaptation of the work
These rights allow creators to control how their works are used by others. For example, they may wish to be acknowledged when their work is used. They may also be concerned if someone changes their work in a way they do not like. The creator can authorize other people to use their works in return for payment. This may involve transferring all or some of their rights to another person or organization (also known as a licensee) in return for payment (known as a license fee).
Copyright in Pakistan can apply to various kinds of work, which includes:
Literary works such as novels, instruction manuals, and computer programs.
Dramatic works such as dance or mime.
Musical works.
Art
Copyrights’ Validity
Copyright is a right given by the law to creators of literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works and producers of cinematography films and sound recordings. The right to reproduce, communicate to the public, adapt, and translate a work is integrated into a bundle of rights. There may be slight differences in the composition of the rights based on the work.
According to Copyright Ordinance 1962 (the “Ordinance”), the right to copy extends to the creation of original literary (including computer programs), dramatic, musical, and artistic works, and to the recording of sound recordings. However, it does not extend to any idea, procedure, system method of operation, or mathematical concept as such.
Duration of Copyright varies
The duration of copyright protection varies with the nature of the protected work:
Authors: life plus 50 years
Films: 50 years from the date it is made or first shown
Sound recordings: 50 years from when it was made or first published
Broadcast recordings: 50 years from making
Typographic arrangements: 25 years since the publication
Copyrights Are Not Absolute
It should be kept in mind that the exclusive copyrights are not absolute but limited by limitations and exceptions to copyright law, including fair use. Copyright on ideas has the major limitation that it only protects the original expression of ideas, not their underlying ideas.
Copyrights are Recognized by Most Jurisdictions
Most jurisdictions recognize copyright limitations, allowing “fair” exceptions to the creator’s exclusivity of copyright and giving users certain rights. As a result of the development of digital media and computer networking technologies, these exceptions have been reinterpreted, complicating the enforcement of copyright laws, and creating new challenges to the philosophical foundation of copyright law. Simultaneously, businesses with great economic dependence upon copyright, like the music industry, have advocated the extension and expansion of copyright and sought additional legal and technological enforcement.
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