Copyright protection and role of publishers: Perceptions of indian authors

Abstract

Copyright laws provide the legal framework to the business of publishing, and authors and publishers have benefitted enormously over the last 100 years or more from the existing copyright regime. The objective of copyright law is to reward the creativity of authors while ensuring that the general public has access to the creativity and innovation of authors. Publishers invest in the content and intellectual property rights assigned to them by authors. What provides value to their investment is the protection provided by copyright laws to the seamless acquisition and transfer of the intellectual property asset. This paper, the first of its kind on authors and copyright in India, focuses on Indian author perceptions on the role of publishers in protecting copyright.