A decision that is going to make the Delhi University students really happy, the Delhi High Court had ruled that the students are allowed to photocopy copyrighted materials and that there will no restriction in the amount that can be copied.
According to an Indian Express report, the Delhi High Court on Friday observed that photocopying of copyrighted material for educational use was allowed under the Copyright law of India.
The ruling came in response to a petition filed by five international Publishers including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Taylor & Francis Group, U.K.; and Taylor & Francis Books India Pvt. Ltd seeking to stop Delhi University from distributing photocopied course packs.
For those of you who are not aware, course packs are basically compilations of material from copyrighted books, put together by faculty members to design a teaching plan keeping in accordance with syllabus.
Under 52(1)(i)(i) of the Indian Copyright Act, ‘reproduction of a literary work in the course of instruction is not copyright infringement’. Additionally, Section 52(1)(i) says that it is perfectly legal to reproduce any copyrighted work during the course of educational instruction.
The Single bench of the Delhi High Court had rejected the publishers petitions against DU-based Rameshwari Photocopy Service who prepare coursepacks for the students.
However, the photocopier has to face trial and justify that the copied matter in the coursepack was a requirement of the syllabus He has also been asked to keep a record of the coursepacks that was being produced and supplied for the educational purpose.
