The DPIIT under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce & Industry has granted certificate of registration to Recorded Music Performance Limited (RMPL) under Section 33(3) of the Copyright Act, 1957 and permitted it to commence and carry on the copyright business in sound recording works. Read certificate here.
As covered in our post here, PPL had moved the Delhi High Court against Government order cancelling its registration application. The Delhi High Court had clarified that if PPL finally succeeds in the present matter, its application for re-registration would stand revived. Further, the Hon’ble Court also directed the Government to keep the aforesaid in mind and till the pendency of this petition not to take any action inconsistent to the above-mentioned position.
As covered in our post here, the Copyright Office had issued a public notice on May 22, 2018 inviting attention of general public and stakeholders to the fact that Recorded Music Performance Limited (RMPL) has vide their application dated March 26, 2018 applied through the Registrar of Copyrights, before the Central Government for its registration as a copyright society under Section 33 of the Copyright Act, 1957 in respect of Sound Recording Works.
In view of RMPL procuring registration as a copyright society and given the fact that most of the major music labels are members of PPL, it would now have to be seen if Government grants PPL registration as a society for the same class of works i.e. sound recording. Section 33(3) requires that the Central Government shall not ordinarily register more than one copyright society to do business in respect of the same class of works.
The Government has been calling for stakeholder meetings to discuss the various aspects pertaining to registration of multiple copyright societies as opposed to single copyright society in a single class of work. Read our posts on this topic here, here, here and here.