Copyright is a long established form of intellectual property right. Modern Copyright laws protect literary and dramatic works, musical works, artistic works including maps and technical drawings, etc., photographs and audiovisual works (cinematograph films, video etc.).
The principal purpose of copyright is to protect expression of thoughts and ideas.
Copyright protects ‘literary and artistic works’ and includes every production in the literary, scientific and artistic domain, whatever may be the mode or form of expression. The expressions ‘literary and artistic works’ includes arts, writings, music, paintings and sculptures, software’s, etc and includes every original work of authorship.
Copyright protects any new and original arrangement or compilation of material by an author by using his own skills, labor and capital.
The Pakistani Copyright Act today is compliant with most international conventions and treaties in the field of copyrights.
The IPO and the TRIPS Agreement stipulate the subsistence of copyright in original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works; cinematographic film and sound recordings. These classes includes variety of works like books, pamphlets and other writings; lectures, addresses, sermons; dramatic or dramatic-musical works, choreographic works; musical composition, chirographic works; drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving; and lithography, photography, maps, plans, sketches, three dimensional works, translations, encyclopedias and anthologies, software’s codes, multimedia productions, etc.
The duration of copyrights varies from country to country.
Information Required:
1. Name, address and nationality of the Application.
2. Nature of the Applicant’s interest in the copyright of the work.
Documents Required:
1. Description of the work.
2. Title of the work.
3. Power of Attorney (neither notarization nor consular legalization required) to be executed by an individual or a representative of a corporation.
4. Four copies of the work.
