Copyright bill gets RS nod sans movie royalty clause

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Thursday approved the Copyright Amendment Bill which seeks to remove operational difficulties and address newer issues related to the digital world and world wide web. The Bill could, however, be passed with the government dropping a provision of giving royalty to the principal director of a film. 
    The bill, moved by HRD minister Kapil Sibal, also seeks to bring Indian laws originally enacted in 1957 in conformity with international norms and the World Intellectual Property Organization. 
    Replying to the debate, Sibal said a clause with a provision of giving royalty to the principal director of a film has been dropped in keeping with the suggestion of the Parliamentary standing committee. 
    “We wanted to actually give this right over royalty to the principal director. He is perhaps principal creator. But there was a feeling expressed by the parliamentary standing committee that time the is not ripe to give that right. So, we are dropping (it),” he said. 
    Initiating the discussion, nominated member and lyricist Javed Akhtar said that companies have sway over songs and the writers and singers do not get much from the commercial success. “Music companies dictate terms to even noted musicians like A R Rahman and others,” he said. 
    Samajwadi Party member Jaya Bachchan talked about the widespread prevalence of pirated songs and music and urged that the bill should address the issue. She stressed that everybody associated with creation of a song of film should be rewarded as these are “created collectively”. 
    The Bill reflects seven broad areas, including right of author and music composer, right to visually impaired, extending compulsory regime to unpublished work, imposition of punitive actions among others. 
    Sibal said piracy issue has been dealt with properly in the Bill. “We are in the midst of new era, which I call digital era. In this digital era, the nature of rights of stakeholders need to be looked afresh.”


Source::: The Times of India, 18-05-2012, p.11 : http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

Govt raises income ceiling for poor in higher education 

    In a decision that will benefit 8.21 lakh students, the state cabinet has increased the income ceiling for economically backward class (EBC) students applying for reimbursement and fee waiver for higher education. The limit has been increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 1 lakh per annum. Since 1960, in a bid to encourage higher studies among people belonging to low-income sections, the state government has followed the practice of reimbursing or waiving admission, tuition, library and similar fees. The ceiling was last revised in 1997, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said. The decision to increase the ceiling will cost the state exchequer Rs 8.93 crore.


SOURCE::: The Times of India, 17-05-2012, p.02. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&AW=1337232548171

Courts increase, yet 15,366 cases pending for 21 years

Rebecca Samervel TNN 

Mumbai: Despite government efforts to increase the number of courts, the problem of delayed justice continues to plague the city’s legal system. Figures accessed through RTI reveal that 15,366 cases that are 21 years or older were pending before metropolitan magistrates’ courts in the city as on March 31. Beyond this, the courts were still considering another 47,270 cases that were filed 11 to 20 years ago and a further 74,123 cases that 
were filed six to 10 years ago. 
    Legal experts and activists blamed the high pendency rate on several reasons, including shortage of judges and defence lawyers’ penchant for seeking repeated adjournments. “Delays occur because the accused, in many cases, are powerful and do not want their cases to come up for trial,” said former policeman-turned-lawyer Y P Singh. “They manage to get indefinite adjournments.” Taking cognizance of the problem, the government increased the number of magistrate courts from 68 in 2011 to 75 in 2012.

Source::: The Times of India, 14-05-2012, p.01 : http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&AW=1336972726847

Builder giving hard time? Go to consumer forum

Rakesh Bhatnagar l New Delhi

All those who have been waiting for years to get possession of their flats or are unhappy with the construction work can now move the consumer protection forum against builders. The forum has been empowered to take cognisance of any deficiency in service by a builder. The builder will now have to ensure that ownership documents are registered in the flat owner’s name. Terming a builder “service provider” and an applicant for a flat under construction “consumer”, the Supreme Court on Friday gave buyers the power to move the forum against the builder. If a builder uses substandard material or makes false or misleading comments about the condition of the flat, it would “amount to denial of facility or benefit of which a consumer is entitled to claim compensation under the Consumer Protection Act”, a bench of justices TS Thakur and Gyan Sudha Misra ruled. Dismissing an appeal filed by a group of contractors saying construction business cannot be termed “service” and a buyer cannot be called “consumer”, the court said when a builder undertakes to construct a house/flat, he has to “perform his obligation as agreed upon”. “A flat with a leaking roof or walls with cracks is denial of service.”

Source:: DNA, 14-05-2012, p.01: http://epaper.dnaindia.com/