Publications
Improving Access to Visually Impaired under Copyright Laws
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Pranshu
Government of Haryana
Taking up the concept of intellectual property, it is an admitted fact that the rights of a creator are to be protected. However, at times, such rights are stretched to unwarranted lengths. Attention may be drawn to the Copyright laws in India. The protection of an author’s rights is accorded high status under the statutory enactment and interference is expected to be kept to an absolute minimum.
As a result of such a legal set up, many a times, various social causes take a back seat vis-à-vis the rights vested in the author. The visually impaired constitute an integral part of our society, and enjoy an equal right to education and knowledge. In light of the provisions of the Copyright Act, 1957, it may be seen that the access to such copyrighted material in a form that the visually challenged may comprehend, is unduly restricted. It is unwarranted that the differently-abled be deprived of their rights on account of insensitive pieces of legislation.
The Paper seeks to address the problem with the Indian Copyright Act as far as it fails to make adequate provisions for visually impaired persons to have access to copyrighted material. It critically examines the current law in light of the proposed Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2010. The paper concludes by comparing the state and status of Indian Copyright Laws with the international debate and development on this issue and making a few suggestions/recommendations.
Chaturvedi, P. 2011, "Improving Access to Visually Impaired under Copyright Laws". In: Contemporary Issues in Marketing & Intellectual Property Rights, Macmillan, New Delhi.
Tags: Intellectual Property, Copyright, Blind, Visually Impaired, Copyright Amendment Bill,