Copyright infringement of India: A Delhi High Court case

The Delhi High Court has recently issued summons to an Instagram account in a copyright infringement suit filed by another company due to “substantial imitation” of the images.

What is Copyright?

• “Copyright” refers to the right given by the law to creators of literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works and producers of cinematograph films and sound recordings.
• It is a bundle of rights that includes rights of reproduction, communication to the public, adaptation, and translation of a work.

What is Copyright infringement?

• A copyrighted work will be considered “infringed” even if a substantial part of the original work is used without authorisation of the original creator.
• The Copyright Act, 1957, aims to safeguard creative works, which are considered to be the creator’s intellectual property.
  • The minimum punishment is imprisonment for 6 months up to 3 years, with a minimum fine of Rs. 50,000 up to Rs.2 lakhs. 
• In cases of infringement, the copyright owner can take legalaction against any person who infringes on or violates their copyright and is entitled to remedies such as injunctions, damages, and accounts.
  • An injunction is an official order given by a law court, usually to stop someone from doing something.
• An injunction only acts as a deterrent and does not mean that all alleged instances of misuse will be corrected immediately because when a court grants it, it is not easy to track all such cases and act on them.

Types of copyright infringement:

• Primary infringement occurs when there is an actual act of copying.
  • In this case, the infringer may or may not know about infringement.
• Secondary infringement occurs when unauthoriseddealings take place, such as selling or importing pirated books, etc.
  • In this case, the infringer will know about infringement.

What is “passing off” in copyright infringement?

• The “passing off” is a situation in which a brand logo is misspelt in such a way that it is not easy for the consumer to differentiate between the brands.
• To make a claim of ‘passing off’, some form of deception, misrepresentation, or harm to the goodwill and reputation of the owner of a mark has to be established.

Supreme Court (SC) judgements in case of “passing off”:

• Cadila Healthcare Limited vs. Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited (2001): The infringing products may or may not be identical, but the similarity in the nature, character, and performance of the goods of the rival traders has to be established.
• The “passing-off” is unfair trade competition or of actionable unfair trading by which one person, through deception, attempts to obtain an economic benefit of the reputation which the other has established for himself in a particular trade or business.

How is “substantial imitation” a copyright infringement?

• Definition of ‘substantial’ varies from case to case but often, it is a matter of quality rather than quantity.
  • Example: if a lyricist copies the catchiest part or phrase from another’s song, this will be considered infringement, even if that phrase is short.

Ref: Source