Section 31A of CA, 1957 : Section 31A: Compulsory Licence In Unpublished Or Published Works

Explanation using Example

Let's consider an example where an unpublished manuscript of a novel written by a now-deceased author is discovered. The author's relatives are either unknown or cannot be traced, and the copyright owner of the manuscript is also not found. A publishing house, seeing the cultural value in the manuscript, decides to publish it.

As per Section 31A of the Copyright Act, the publishing house can apply to the Commercial Court for a licence to publish the manuscript. Before doing so, they must publish their proposal in an English daily newspaper with a wide circulation, and if they plan to translate the ma...

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