FIP and IRRO organise workshop on Copyright Protection amidst Dynamic Technology

The Federation of Indian Publishers organised a half-day online conference from 12

New Delhi [India] April 26 (ANI/BusinessWire India): The Federation of Indian Publishers organised a half-day online conference from 12:30 pm to 5:00 pm on World Book Day, April 23, 2022, in association with the Indian Reprographic Rights Organization, examining and exposing vulnerabilities protection of intellectual property. Those who know about publishing may know that World Book Day is an abbreviation for World Book and Copyright Day, a UNESCO observance since 1905. While many organisations focus on the part first, the workshop focussed on the copyright factor and the crucial importance to the world industry of healthy copyright frameworks in national markets. World publishing players were invited to register for this free workshop and participate in its session, supported by the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations (IFFRO), the International Publishers Association (IPA), the Delhi-based Afro-Asian Book Council AABC and the Authors Guild of India Delhi. Ankit Sahni, Partner Ajay Sahni & Associates, was the knowledge partner and played a very critical role in this event. The event was hosted on Virtual Platform PragatiE and was promoted by Frontlist Media. The event's main aim was education and protection of copyright in an age of easy distribution means. It focussed on steps that should be taken to prevent copyright infringement. "As per the organisers, many in the publishing world are slow to realise the importance of knowing and understanding their rights and vulnerabilities." Eminent speakers from the international publishing arena, such as Caroline Morgan, CEO and secretary-general of IFFRO, and Andre Breedt, managing director of Nielsen BookData UK, took part in the online session. The event was divided into four parts: Transforming the Role of Intellectual Property in the Era of Technology, Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, and Monetization of Intellectual Assets for a Sustainable Business. The workshop highlighted how piracy across the world has increased after the pandemic, making use of social media apps and various other forums. Therefore, regulators need to step in to make sure piracy and infringement are effectively kept in check. Reprography or facsimile reproduction, such as photocopying--is among the most common forms of reproduction which is pretty standard in academics. However, this is an emerging issue for publishers and authors. This can be protected with the help of Reprographic rights organisations or RROs. These are mandated to collectively manage copyright protection of content either through voluntary private agreements (in which a publisher might arrange such services) or a legal licensing system created by local law. Pranav Gupta (Secretary-General - IRRO and Joint Secretary - FIP) says, "The world had undergone substantial changes since 1957 when S. 52 (1) (i) was enacted, and owing to the progress in technology, the set provision needs to be reconsidered to keep up with challenges in today's increasingly digital world. Publishers and authors have lost crores of rupees, especially since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic owing to the widespread and unchecked circulation of unlicensed infringing digital copies of publications on social messaging apps and social media platforms. He continues, "The Berne convention says if there is an exception, it should not come in the way of removing from the scope of rights of the rightsholder. Today's Readers will be creators and Innovators for tomorrow. Copyrights laws are relevant because it takes a lot of talent, energy and resources to develop creative, new ideas or products, and it is only natural that creators benefit financially from their efforts. Therefore, respecting copyright, IP and Technology laws is important for all of us as it secures the interest of the rightsholder and adds a lot of value to the country's economic growth. This is high time the Government needs to amend the Indian Copyright Laws." The Knowledge partner highlighted vital points from the discussion. He said, "Everybody feels it's time for the judiciary to step up and embrace the challenge to redesign or reinterpret Intellectual Property Rights Stakeholders keeping up with modern technology to create a win-win situation for publishers and access information. Need for regulations to check piracy. Pranav Gupta thanked all speakers Arun George, Ravi Shankar Jha, Kapil Gupta, James, Utkal Chakraborty, Shrey Gupta, Girish Srivastava, Jagdish Swaroop, Caroli Morgan, Vikrant Mathur, BP Sen, Pragya Chaturvedi, Avnesh Kumar, Andreas Breedt and Rahul Goel for being a part of this event. He says, "Whether it is the education sector or any creative activity, Intellectual Property Laws, assets and copyrights must be in sync with our processing systems for providing the due credit to the sole innovator. The case studies referred not only restricted to publishing but spoke across the spectrum of economic sectors."

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