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For Writers, Musicians, Film Makers, Artists, Creators, Software Companies

Copyright Registration

Your copyright already exists. It came into being the moment you wrote the words down, recorded the track or drew the artwork, and registration does not create it. What registration gives you is a dated public record you can put in front of a court, a customs officer or a platform without first having to prove you made it. Nothing here is urgent. What matters is getting the ownership right.

About ten minutes, in confidence. Would rather talk first? write to us instead.

Work & Ownership Check

We confirm the category of the work and who actually owns it. This is where most applications go wrong, not on the work itself.

Documents

A no objection certificate from the author where the applicant is not the author, and the assignment deed or employment agreement that carries the title.

Application Filing

We file Form XIV with the Copyright Office along with copies of the work.

Objection Window & Examination

The Registry holds the application for a statutory 30 day objection period, then examines it.

Registration Certificate

The entry goes on the Register of Copyrights and the certificate is issued to you.

Who This Is For

Who Registers Copyright

Writers and publishers

Books, articles, scripts, course material and blog archives, registered as literary works.

Musicians and singers

Two separate rights sit in one song. The composition and the lyrics are a musical and a literary work; the recording is a sound recording. Most people register one and lose the other.

Film makers and video producers

Films, advertisements and documentaries, plus the screenplay behind them, which is its own dramatic work.

YouTubers, podcasters and influencers

Videos, scripts, thumbnails and channel artwork. When a platform asks you to prove a takedown claim, the certificate is what you send.

Photographers and illustrators

Photographs, illustrations, comic art and digital paintings, registered as artistic works.

Software companies

Source code, interface designs and technical documentation. The Registry asks a software applicant for the first and last ten pages of the code.

Designers, studios and agencies

Logos, labels and packaging artwork. Where an artistic work is used as a mark, section 45 needs a certificate from the Registrar of Trade Marks first.

Anyone who paid someone else to make it

Paying a freelancer does not transfer the copyright. Without a signed assignment it stays with them, whatever the invoice says. This is the most common gap we find.

Not sure which of these is you? Our free creator IP check asks seven questions and tells you what you own, what you have already signed away, and what to register first.

What We Cover

Copyright Services in Detail

Literary Works

Books, articles, scripts, manuals, website copy and databases.

Artistic Works and Logos

Paintings, drawings, photographs, logos and labels, including the section 45 certificate from the Trade Marks Registry where the work doubles as a mark.

Musical Works and Sound Recordings

The composition and the recording are separate rights. Where both are yours we file both, rather than leaving half the song unprotected.

Cinematograph Films

Films, advertisements and any moving images, with or without sound.

Software and Source Code

Registration of computer programmes, prepared with the source code extracts the Registry requires.

Ownership, Assignment and NOC

Employment and freelance chains of title, author no objection certificates, and assignment deeds, so the application stands up.

FAQ

Common Questions

Is copyright registration compulsory in India?

No. Copyright exists from the moment the work is fixed, and registration does not create it. What the certificate gives you is evidence: it is what you produce in court, and what platforms and customs authorities ask to see.

Our employee made it. Who owns it?

Under section 17 the employer owns work made by an employee in the course of their job, unless the contract says otherwise. Contracts occasionally do say otherwise, so it is worth reading before filing.

We paid a freelancer for our logo. Is it ours?

Not automatically. In India, paying for commissioned work does not by itself transfer the copyright. Without a signed assignment it stays with the freelancer or the agency. Send us whatever was signed, even if it is only an email or a purchase order.

Our logo is already a trademark. Do we need copyright as well?

They protect different things. A trademark protects the mark within your line of business; copyright protects the artwork itself against copying anywhere. Where an artistic work is used or is capable of being used on goods or services, section 45 requires a certificate from the Registrar of Trade Marks before the copyright can be registered.

Does publishing the work first cause a problem?

No. Unlike a patent or a design registration, copyright is not lost by publication. Carry on publishing and selling while the application runs. We do need the date and country of first publication, because the application asks for it.

Put Your Name on the Record

Send us the work and who made it. A registered agent reads it and replies within 24 working hours with what the application needs and what it will cost.