CHAPTER VI
Licences
30. The owner of the copyright in any existing work or the prospective Licences by owners of copyright.owner of the copyright in any future work may grant any interest in the right by licence in writing signed by him or by his duly authorised agent;
Provided that in the case of a licence relating to copyright in any future work, the licence shall take effect only when the work comes into existence.
Explanation.—Where a person to whom, a licence relating to copyright in any future work is granted under this section, dies before the work comes into existence, his legal representatives shall, in the absence of any provision to the contrary in the licence, be entitled to the benefit of the licence.
31. (1) If at any time during the term of copyright in any Indian Compulsory licence in works withheld from public.work which has been published or performed in public, a complaint is made to the Copyright Board that the owner of copyright in the work—
- (a) has refused to republish or allow the republication of the work or has refused to allow the performance in public of the work, and by reason of such refusal the work is withheld from the public; or
- (b) has refused to allow communication to the public by radio-diffusion of such work or in the case of a record the work recorded in such record, on terms which the complainant considers reasonable;
the Copyright Board, after giving to the owner of the copyright in the work a reasonable opportunity of being heard and after holding such inquiry as it may deem necessary, may, if it is satisfied that the grounds for such refusal are not reasonable, direct the Registrar of Copyrights to grant to the complainant a licence to republish the work, perform the work in public or communicate the work to the public by radio-diffusion, as the case may be, subject to payment to the owner of the copyright of such compensation and subject to such other terms and conditions as the Copyright Board may determine; and thereupon the Registrar of Copyrights shall grant the licence to the complainant in accordance with the directions of the Copyright Board, on payment of such fee as may be prescribed.
Explanation.—In this sub-section, the expression "Indian work" includes—
- (i) an artistic work, the author of which is a citizen of India; and
