With the Rajya Sabha passing an amendment to improve the rights of composers and writers, B-Town biggies Sonu Niigaam, Kailash Kher, Shabana Azmi and Rohit Roy have hailed veteran writer Javed Akhtar for his efforts in getting the measure through.
Akhtar has been pushing for an amendment in the copyright laws to give music directors and lyricists a share of the profits earned on their work. The amendment to the copyright act was passed by the Rajya Sabha Thursday and will now go to the Lok Sabha.
Akhtar’s wife Shabana was ecstatic.
“Hurrah copyright amendment bill passed in Rajya Sabha. Javed’s historic moment to give lyricists, composers 12 percent of their rightful share,” she tweeted.
Sonu wrote: “Copyright act passed by the Rajya Sabha… For not just the composers and lyrics writer but singers too. Congratulations. Kudos @Javedakhtarjadu.”
Akhtar and actress Jaya Bachchan spoke in support of amendments to the bill at the Rajya Sabha.
“Javed Akhtar is a real hero for fighting for all creative people. We are blessed to see the change and people behind it. Finally copyright is and will be defined in real now in our country, congratulations to all intellectual property owners, finally you are protected,” tweeted Kher.
“Copyright bill passed… Congrats Javed saab… All you efforts paid off,” tweeted Rohit, while Ehsaan Noorani of the famous trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy wrote: “@Javedakhtarjadu stellar speech in the RS! Many Congratulations on the bill being passed.”
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Copyright Amendment Bill, after the Congress leadership and the leader of Opposition, Arun Jaitley, came together to back the long-pending legislation.
The amendments to the Copyright Act, 1958, seek to assign rights to ‘creative artistes’ such as lyricists, playback singers, music directors and dialogue writers, along with film directors, involved in a cinematic production. Following the amendments, these artistes stand to earn a royalty each time the film is aired on a television channel.
The bill had to be deferred in the Rajya Sabha last December, when a few members raised concern over HRD minister Kapil Sibal’s ‘conflict of interest’ in the matter. Subsequently, HRD and information and broadcasting ministries quibbled over radio and TV rights, after which the government accepted the Opposition’s demand to include radio and TV rights within the ambit of the bill.
Just before the bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, however, a leading music company intensified lobbying with the ruling party and the government, with its representatives approaching Sonia Gandhi. However, they failed to get an assurance from the Congress president, who promptly directed them to speak to prime minister’s principal secretary Pulok Chatterjee. She also asked the government to press ahead with the bill in the Rajya Sabha.
Vested interests within BJP also indulged in delaying tactics, raising the issue of human rights of minorities in Pakistan around the scheduled time of introduction of the bill. Jaitley, however, rescued the proposed legislation by telling his party MPs firmly that he would announce his support for the bill on the floor of the House, forcing them to fall in line.
—Source: facenfacts