Section 14 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.
Section 14 defines "copyright" as a bundle of exclusive rights, and the bundle differs for each type of work. It tells you what only the owner (or someone the owner authorises) may do. If you own a work and want those rights on record, start with copyright registration.
"Copyright" means the exclusive right, subject to the provisions of the Act, to do or authorise the doing of the listed acts "in respect of a work or any substantial part thereof". The list is set separately for (a) literary, dramatic and musical works, (b) computer programmes, (c) artistic works, (d) cinematograph films and (e) sound recordings. Doing any of those acts without the owner's permission, outside the exceptions in the Act, is what the infringement provisions later deal with.
The opening words
Section 14 was substituted in 1994, as the footnote records. It reads: "For the purposes of this Act, 'copyright' means the exclusive right subject to the provisions of this Act, to do or authorise the doing of any of the following acts in respect of a work or any substantial part thereof".
Three phrases do the work:
- "Exclusive right": the owner alone may do the acts, or permit others to.
- "Do or authorise the doing": the right covers authorising others, for example by licence.
- "A work or any substantial part thereof": copying a substantial part is enough; the whole is not needed. The Act does not say what makes a part "substantial".
The rights, class by class
| Right | (a) Literary, dramatic, musical | (b) Computer programme | (c) Artistic | (d) Film | (e) Sound recording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reproduce in any material form, including electronic storage | Yes (i) | Yes, via (a) | Yes (i), including three-dimensional and two-dimensional depiction | Make a copy, including a photograph of any image and electronic storage (i) | Make another sound recording embodying it, including electronic storage (i) |
| Issue copies to the public (not copies already in circulation) | Yes (ii) | Yes, via (a) | Yes (iii) | Not listed as such; sell or give on commercial rental (ii) | Sell or give on commercial rental (ii) |
| Perform in public or communicate to the public | Yes (iii) | Yes, via (a) | Communicate to the public (ii) | Communicate to the public (iii) | Communicate to the public (iii) |
| Make a film or sound recording of the work | Yes (iv) | Yes, via (a) | Include in a film (iv) | n/a | n/a |
| Translate | Yes (v) | Yes, via (a) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Adapt | Yes (vi) | Yes, via (a) | Yes (v) | n/a | n/a |
| Acts in relation to a translation or adaptation | Yes (vii) | Yes, via (a) | Yes (vi), for acts in (i) to (iv) | n/a | n/a |
| Sell or give on commercial rental | n/a | Yes (b)(ii) | n/a | Yes (ii) | Yes (ii) |
Literary, dramatic and musical works, clause (a)
Clause (a) covers any such work "not being a computer programme". The seven rights are:
- to reproduce the work in any material form including storing it in any medium by electronic means;
- to issue copies of the work to the public not being copies already in circulation;
- to perform the work in public, or communicate it to the public;
- to make any cinematograph film or sound recording in respect of the work;
- to make any translation of the work;
- to make any adaptation of the work;
- to do, in relation to a translation or an adaptation, any of the acts in (1) to (6).
"Adaptation" and "communication to the public" are defined in section 2; see part 2 of our section 2 series. Clause (iv) matters to songwriters and authors: a film or sound recording made from your work needs your permission.
Computer programmes, clause (b)
A computer programme has the clause (a) rights plus a rental right: "to sell or give on commercial rental or offer for sale or for commercial rental any copy of the computer programme". The proviso: "such commercial rental does not apply in respect of computer programmes where the programme itself is not the essential object of the rental". Sub-clause (ii) was substituted in 1999 (footnote). For example, hiring out a car that contains embedded software is not a rental of the programme.
Artistic works, clause (c)
Sub-clause (i), substituted in 2012, reads: "to reproduce the work in any material form including (A) the storing of it in any medium by electronic or other means; or (B) depiction in three-dimensions of a two-dimensional work; or (C) depiction in two-dimensions of a three-dimensional work". So turning a drawing into a sculpture, or a sculpture into a photograph or poster, is within the reproduction right. The other rights are to communicate the work to the public, issue copies not already in circulation, include the work in a cinematograph film, make an adaptation, and do in relation to an adaptation the acts in (i) to (iv).
Films and sound recordings, clauses (d) and (e)
- Film. (i) to make a copy of the film, including a photograph of any image forming part of it, or storing it in any medium by electronic or other means; (ii) to sell or give on commercial rental, or offer for sale or for such rental, any copy of the film; (iii) to communicate the film to the public. Sub-clauses (i) and (ii) were substituted in 2012.
- Sound recording. (i) to make any other sound recording embodying it, including storing in any medium by electronic or other means; (ii) to sell or give on commercial rental, or offer for sale or for such rental, any copy; (iii) to communicate the sound recording to the public. Parts of (i) and (ii) date from 2012.
"Commercial rental" is defined in section 2 (printed as clause (fa), re-lettered (faa) in 2021): non-profit lending by non-profit libraries and educational institutions is not commercial rental.
What section 14 does not say
- It does not list moral rights. The author's special rights are in section 57, covered in a later article.
- It does not give performers' or broadcasters' rights. Those are in Chapter VIII.
- It does not say the rights are absolute. The opening words say "subject to the provisions of this Act"; exceptions such as fair dealing are in section 52.
- It does not define "material form". The text uses it without definition.
- It does not name a fee or term. The duration is in Chapter V.
How the sections fit
| Section | Question |
|---|---|
| 13 | Is the work protected? |
| 14 | What exclusive rights does the owner get? |
| 17 to 19 | Who is the first owner, and how can rights be assigned? |
| 22 to 29 | For how long? |
| 51 | What is infringement? |
See section 13 and the live post on assignment under sections 18 and 19.
Practical points
- Map your rights by work. A book author holds translation and adaptation rights; a software owner also holds a rental right.
- License per right. Because each right is separate, you can license reproduction without licensing adaptation.
- Watch the proviso. Rental of software embedded in other goods is excluded.
- Authorise in writing. The right to "authorise" is how licences work; section 30 requires a licence to be in writing.
Need help managing your rights?
If you want to know which rights you hold in a work, and to put them on record, our copyright registration team can prepare the filing and tell you which rights to address in licences.
Key takeaways
- Copyright is the exclusive right to do or authorise the listed acts in respect of a work or a substantial part of it.
- Each class of work has its own list in section 14(a) to (e).
- Computer programmes, films and sound recordings carry a right to sell or rent commercially.
- Artistic works include three-dimensional and two-dimensional depiction.
- The rights are "subject to the provisions of this Act".
Read next
- Section 13: works in which copyright subsists
- Sections 15-16: designs and no copyright except under the Act
- Section 22: term of copyright in published works
- Copyright licensing: exclusive and non-exclusive
Disclaimer: Based on the Copyright Act, 1957 as amended up to 2012, read with the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Acts of 2023 and 2026, as consulted on 1 October 2026. Forms, fees and procedure are set by the Copyright Rules, 2013 as amended from time to time. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.