Dalveer Bhandari says the perception that it takes a long time to settle legal matters in India is a thing of the past and high courts are flooded with copyright cases.
Sounding a warning to pirates, Supreme Court (SC) judge Dalveer Bhandari has said many multinational companies (MNCs) were now suing individuals and organisations in India for violating intellectual property rights since the cost of litigation in the country was reasonable and disposal of cases had become speedy.
The judge said the perception that it takes a long time to settle legal matters in India was a thing of the past and high courts in Delhi and Mumbai were flooded with cases of copyright and intellectual property rights.
He was speaking after inaugurating a seminar on copyright law on Saturday.
“Many multinationals have turned to India to settle disputes. Microsoft has filed 25 cases in the Delhi high court,” Bhandari said.
By and large, the executive in India has always implemented judicial orders, though it may have taken time to decide cases, he said. However, it has been a happy situation so far as intellectual property rights cases were concerned, the judge said.
Bhandari said the Copyright Act was introduced in India in 1957 as the government wanted to protect works of legendary poet Rabindranath Tagore. Since then, the act has been amended five times, last in 1999.
The proposed Copyright Amendment Bill 2010 aims at removing operational difficulties and takes into consideration ways to prevent misuse of modern technology and internet.
Bhandari hoped a mechanism would be put in place soon for implementation of the Copyright Act. Both nationally and internationally, it was important to create conditions for recognition of intellectual property rights, he said.
The judge said piracy of all three types — in print, sound recording and films — had reached alarming proportions because of new technology. Most countries were trying to meet the challenge by introducing laws, Bhandari said.
“Unauthorised use of original works should be stopped, as modern technology can create havoc if it is not brought under law. Respect for genuine work is a must and there should be a change in the mindset to not use pirated goods,” he said.
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