IPRMENTLAW VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE CONFERENCE- ‘NEED TO REVAMP THE COPYRIGHT ACT?’

I am delighted to announce  that we at IPRMENTLAW are conducting for the first time ever, the biggest virtual roundtable conference on June 21, 2020 at 4.30pm on the occasion of the Copyright Amendment Act, 2012 completing eight years, topic being ‘Need to revamp the Copyright Act?’.

In 2010, I had just started out my career in a law firm after graduating from my law school. The Copyright Amendment Bill, 2010 was introduced just around then and it shook the entire industry. As a fresher, I was intrigued with what the Amendment Bill proposed to amend and super confused as well. I wondered, why such confusing language to such simple intentions? Two years passed by with stakeholder meetings, Standing Committee Report, representations being made by each side and then eventually on June 21, 2012 the Copyright Amendment Act came into effect. It took the entire legal fraternity a while to make sense of the Amendment. Each sector in the media and entertainment industry started revising its agreements be it author agreements, performer agreements or assignment agreements, to ensure compliance with the 2012 Amendment or to find ways to circumvent it.  There was a chaos with each sector trying to interpret the Amendment in its favour owing to ambiguity in some of the provisions. Around six to seven constitutional challenges were filed challenging several provisions of the Amendment- by the labels, producers, broadcasters, etc.  Gross transparency issues of copyright societies came into light, investigations took place and rest is history. We had an Amendment Act but no amendment rules until March of 2013. No Copyright Board to enforce several of the provisions. Confusing judgements rendering the intent of the Amendment redundant. Attempts to broaden the scope of the Act by Rules without amending the Act itself. Multiple licensing windows creating havoc for the users. Publishing industry bleeding as an aftermath of some convoluted interpretations of some judgements by some users. Eight years down the line, we are still struggling with the same issues.

So why this virtual roundtable conference?

It’s a hope for a change, a hope to start the process to bring about a change.

This conference intends to have an open discussion on the issues faced by different sectors and address the question on whether it is high time that the Copyright Act, 1957 undergoes a complete revamp.

We know that the 2012 Amendment had its heart in the right place, but has it been able to achieve its objective?

For the first time ever, a diversified and stellar range of speakers would be coming together to speak on an issue of such significance.

MEET THE PANELISTS
Guest of honor- Mr. Raghavender- Joint Secretary, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law	Mr. Raghavender is a civil servant from Central Secretariat Service (CSS) 1988 and currently posted as Joint Secretary, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India, New Delhi. Previously, he was the Joint Secretary in Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, from August 2015 to January 2017.  Mr. Raghavender is very passionate about Intellectual Property Rights, especially Copyright and Related Rights. He worked as Registrar of Copyrights of the Indian Copyright Office from 2007 to 2014 and played a key role in the introduction of amendments to the Copyright Act in 2012 and introduction of the Copyright Rules, 2013.
Keynote address by- Mr. Blaise Fernandes- President, Indian Music Industry	Mr. Blaise Fernandes, President & CEO of Indian Music Industry (IMI). He was with Warner Bros for 23 years until 2013 and was the Country Manager and Managing Director at the time of leaving Warner. Two pit stops in between as CEO Gateway House a foreign policy think tank and Edelweiss an NBFC.
Mr. Atul Churamani-Managing Director, Turnkey Music & Publishing Pvt. Ltd	Mr. Atul Churamani is currently the managing director at Turnkey Music & Publishing Pvt. Ltd.  He has over 33 years of experience in the Indian music industry. He started in the music business as Manager International Music with CBS Gramophone Records & Tapes India Ltd. in 1987. He has worked with Magnasound India Ltd, Virgin Records India Pvt. Ltd, Saregama India Ltd and Onmobile Global Ltd. He has handled portfolios across divisions including International Music, Sales, Marketing, A&R, New Media, Publishing and Concerts. He was the driving force behind setting up the international publishing network for Saregama India Limited and started its digital business and the events business for the company’s international offices. He has helped create the Indian pop category and launched the careers of artistes like Baba Sehgal, Daler Mehndi, Shaan, Colonial Cousins and many more.
Mr. Aashish Rego- General Secretary, Music Composers Association of India	Mr. Aashish Rego is the General Secretary of Music Composers Association of India. One of the most prolific music composers in the Indian TV Industry, Aashish Rego has been consistently breaking many records, while making many records. He has scored music for one of the longest running TV shows on Indian Television “Balika Vadhu”, for which he was felicitated by the Jaipur International Film Festival for his contribution to Rajasthani music. His clients are among the who’s who, of Indian Television and the Digital media, and swear by the value he adds to their Creative Expression.
Ms.  Oindrila Maitra- Director- Legal & Business Affairs- Jio Saavn	Oindrila Maitra is the Director (Legal and Business Affairs) at Jio Saavn, one of the leading music streaming platforms in India. Oindrila has a had a rich and diversified experience with working with Sony Music and Reliance Entertainment prior to joining Jio Saavn.
Mr. Bishwarup Chakrabarti-Legal Head- Eros Digital	Bishwarup Chakrabarti is the legal head at Eros Digital, one of the leading OTT platforms in India. He comes with a rich experience having worked in Sony Pictures and Viacom 18 prior to joining Eros.
Isha Rathnam- Director- Legal- Lionsgate	Isha Ratham is the Director-Legal at Lionsgate one of the leading studios and global content platform.  Isha was a partner at KLAW prior to joining Lionsgate. Among various in-house positions held by her with global brands, she is ex-Turner, Sony and Reliance Broadcast.
Mr. Dominic Dsouza – Advisor & Influencer – Legal, Strategy, Regulatory	Mr. Dominic D’souza, has been part of the Indian Media & Entertainment Industry for over two decades. This includes being associated with several national and international media conglomerates and broadcast channels such as Star TV, Disney, Zee, production houses such as Balaji Telefilms and UTV, OTT platforms, new media platforms, print and newspaper publications too.  He is also a source of authority and reference to various stakeholders in the media, IP, the broadcasting and telecom regulatory sectors.
Rahul Ajatshatru, Counsel & Head of Chambers, Ajatshtru Chambers	Mr. Rahul Ajatshatru is a counsel and head of chambers at Ajatshatru Chambers with over fifteen years of experience. He was the Mumbai Practice Lead at Anand & Anand for over six years and was also the Attorney & Legal Consultant of T-Series.
Manojna Yeluri, Entertainment, Media and IP lawyer – Founder of Artistik License	Ms. Manojna Yeluri is an entertainment, media and IP lawyer. She is also the founder of Artisik License, a consultancy for artists and creative professionals, addressing their legal and business concerns. After graduating from NALSAR Hyderabad in 2010, Manojna did her LLM at UCLA School of Law. Manojna was also a consultant with Vahura, one the leading legal recruitment companies. She also led the content team for one of India’s favourite and foremost startup festivals.
Moderator -Anushree Rauta, Founder- IPRMENTLAW	Anushree Rauta is the Founder of IPRMENTLAW, the leading entertainment law blog in India. She started this blog in January 2018 as a knowledge sharing initiative in the less traversed field of media and entertainment law.   Anushree is considered to be one of the noted media and entertainment lawyers in India. She is currently a partner at ANM Global and heads their media and entertainment practice.

RELEVANT READING MATERIAL:

If you have thoughts, you would like to share or queries on the topic under discussion feel free to write to me at  anushreerauta@iprmentlaw.com and we would endeavor to address it in the webinar. Look forward to an activate participation from the industry and the legal fraternity. This is your one chance to be a part of the process to bring about a change you want to see.

Webinar link:  https://rb.gy/maplr1

Webinar ID: 950 6543 5841

Password: 210620

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/iprment/