Of the Copyright Rules explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rules 1 and 2 are the opening rules of the Copyright Rules, 2013. Rule 1 gives the name and the date the Rules came into force; rule 2 says what six short terms mean wherever they appear later: "Act", "Board", "copyright business", "Form", "Schedule" and "Section". These Rules are made under the Copyright Act, 1957, and every later rule has to be read with these meanings in mind. If a definition decides a live question for you, a legal consultation can help.
The Rules may be called the Copyright Rules, 2013 and came into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette, which the text's footnote gives as 14 March 2013. Rule 2 defines Act, Board, copyright business, Form, Schedule and Section. A "Form" always means a form in the First Schedule, and any word not defined in the Rules takes its meaning from the Copyright Act, 1957.
Rule 1: name and commencement
Rule 1(1) says: "These rules may be called the Copyright Rules, 2013."
Rule 1(2) says: "They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette." A footnote to the text gives the notification as G.S.R. 172(E), dated 14 March 2013, published in the Gazette of India: Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(i), and records that the Rules "came into force on 14-3-2013". Rule 1 does not itself print a date; the date comes from the footnote.
Rule 1 has no sub-rule on territorial extent, even though the heading reads "Short title, extent and commencement". The text is silent on extent beyond the heading.
Rule 2: the six definitions
Rule 2 begins: "In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,—". The definitions follow.
| Term | What rule 2 says | Where it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Act | The Copyright Act, 1957 (14 of 1957) | Every rule that cites a section |
| Board | "a Copyright Board as defined in sub-section (1) of section 11" | Compulsory licences, statutory licences, tariff appeals and other rules |
| Copyright business | The business of "issuing or granting licence in respect of a right or set of rights in specific act in respect of a work or any substantial part thereof referred to in section 14" and it "includes the functions referred to in sub-section (3) of section 34" | Copyright societies and the permission to carry on copyright business |
| Form | "a form set out in the First Schedule" | Forms I to XVI |
| Schedule | "Schedule to these rules" | The First Schedule (forms) and the Second Schedule (fees) |
| Section | "a section of the Act" | Every cross-reference |
Copyright business
This is the definition with practical bite. It does not mean every business that deals in copyright. It means the business of issuing or granting licences for a right, or a set of rights, in a specific act in relation to a work (or a substantial part of it) of the kind described in section 14, together with the functions listed in section 34(3). Those functions sit with copyright societies, which is why the definition returns in the Rules on registration of societies and permission to carry on copyright business. For the section 14 background see section 14 of the Copyright Act.
Example. Meera Prints publishes a poetry collection and licenses a school board to reproduce one poem for a textbook, once, for a fee. That is Meera dealing with her own copyright. A society that regularly grants licences on behalf of many owners is carrying on copyright business in the sense of rule 2(1)(c) and has its own set of Rules to follow.
Form and Schedule
Rule 2(1)(d) ties every "Form" to the First Schedule, and rule 2(1)(e) says "Schedule" means a Schedule to these Rules. The First Schedule carries the sixteen forms; the Second Schedule prints the fees. When a later rule says "in Form XIV", the form to use is the one printed in the First Schedule, not a form from any other source.
Rule 2(2): words not defined here
Rule 2(2) provides: "Words and expression used herein but not defined and defined in the Copyright Act, 1957, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in that Act." In plain terms, a term like "author", "work", "copyright society" or "Registrar of Copyrights" is not redefined in the Rules; it takes its meaning from section 2 of the Act. See our articles on section 2 of the Act, for example the part dealing with copyright society, exclusive licence and other definitions.
Drafting slip. Rule 2 is printed with lettered clauses (a) to (f) under an opening line, followed by a paragraph numbered "(2)"; the paragraph that should be "(1)" carries no number in the text. The sub-rule is cited here as rule 2(1) for the lettered definitions, which is how the text's own cross-reference ("rule 2(1)(d)") is generally read. The words "not defined and defined" in rule 2(2) also read oddly; the sense is "not defined in the Rules but defined in the Act".
The Board in rule 2(1)(b)
Rule 2(1)(b) defines "Board" as the Copyright Board under section 11(1) of the Act. That is the definition as notified in 2013. The Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 abolished the Board at Act level and moved its functions, section by section, to the Commercial Court or the High Court, as the amended section provides. These Rules have not been checked here for a matching amendment, so wherever a rule speaks of the "Board" you should read it against the Act as it stands now. Our article on the Appellate Board provisions after 2021 explains the Act-level change.
Why these definitions matter in practice
- For applicants. "Form" means the First Schedule form; a made-up format will not do.
- For societies. Whether an activity is "copyright business" decides whether permission or registration rules apply.
- For students. The opening words "unless the context otherwise requires" mean a definition can bend, so read it with the rule that uses the term.
- For anyone citing the Rules. "Section" always means a section of the Act.
If you are unsure whether a particular licensing activity amounts to copyright business, a short advice call before you start can save rework later.
What rules 1 and 2 do not say
- No date other than the footnote's 14 March 2013 is printed for commencement.
- Rule 2 does not define "Registrar of Copyrights", "Copyright Office" or "copyright society"; the Act does.
- The text contains no definition of "applicant" or "owner" for the Rules' own purposes.
- The Rules do not say how they apply to rights that arose before 2013; see our article on the repeal of the 1958 Rules later in this series.
Need help with reading the Rules?
If a licence, society filing or registration turns on what a defined term means, we can walk through the text with you and map the right forms. Start with a legal consultation and bring the rule numbers you are working with.
Key takeaways
- The Copyright Rules, 2013 came into force on publication in the Gazette, recorded in the footnote as 14 March 2013.
- Rule 2 defines Act, Board, copyright business, Form, Schedule and Section; undefined words follow the Copyright Act, 1957.
- "Form" means a First Schedule form; "Section" means a section of the Act.
- "Board" in the 2013 text must be read with the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, and this article does not say the Rules were amended to match.
- The text is the Rules as notified in 2013 with the 2016 amendment; check later amendments.
Read next
- Rule 3: terms and conditions of the Chairman and members of the Copyright Board
- Rule 4–5: relinquishment of copyright, notice and public notice
- Introduction to the Copyright Act, 1957: complete guide
Disclaimer: Based on the Copyright Rules, 2013 as notified (with the 2016 amendment), read with the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, as consulted on 1 October 2026. Later amendment rules, forms and fees should be checked in their current form. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.