Copyright Registration in India (2026): Fees by Work Type, Online Filing, Objections, Software and Logos

Your packaging artwork, product photos, website copy, training manuals, software and ad jingles are all copyright works — and in a small business they are often the easiest things for a competitor or a former employee to copy. This guide explains copyright registration in India for business owners, creators and software founders: what you can register, who can apply, the official fee for each kind of work, how to file Form XIV online, what happens in the 30-day objection window, the special rules for software and logos, and a worked example in rupees.

Quick answer

Copyright exists automatically, so registration is optional — but the registration certificate is prima facie evidence of ownership in court. File Form XIV online on copyright.gov.in, one work per application, with the fee from the Copyright Rules: ₹500 per work for literary, musical or artistic works and software, ₹2,000 per work for logos and labels used on goods. If nobody objects within 30 days, the Registrar examines and registers the work.

• One application per work — a book, a programme, a logo, a song each need their own

• Logos and labels need a Trade Marks Registry search certificate (₹9,000 online)

• Software: at least the first and last 10 pages of source code, unredacted

• Protection lasts the author's lifetime plus 60 years for most works

Do you need to register copyright at all?

Under the Copyright Act, 1957, copyright comes into existence as soon as an original work is created; there is no formality to complete. A brochure your team writes today, a photograph your designer shoots, or a programme your developer codes is protected without a certificate. The Copyright Office's own handbook says so plainly.

What registration adds is proof. The registration certificate and the entries in the Register of Copyrights are treated as prima facie evidence in court in a dispute about ownership. Without it you must prove, from drafts, emails, file metadata and witnesses, that you created the work first and that it belongs to you. With it, the burden shifts to the other side. That matters most when:

• you sell or license the work — a publisher, a music label, an investor or an acquirer will ask for registered titles;
• you want marketplaces, social platforms or hosting companies to remove copies quickly;
• the work is exposed to copying by design, such as packaging art, a catalogue, an e-learning course or a mobile app;
• the work was made by freelancers or agencies, where ownership is often unclear until it is written down.

For a small business, the cost is low — ₹500 per work for most works — so the question is usually which works are commercially important enough to register, not whether registration is worth it.

Copyright registration at a glance (2026)

₹500 per work

Most works incl. software

literary, musical, artistic, dramatic

₹2,000 per work

Logos and labels

artistic work used on goods or services

30 days

Objection window

Rule 70(10)

Life + 60

Years of protection

most works; films and recordings 60 from publication

What can and cannot be registered

The Register of Copyrights has six parts: literary works (other than computer programmes), musical works, artistic works, cinematograph films, sound recordings and computer programmes. That covers:

• Literary works — books, manuals, reports, website and marketing copy, course material, compilations and databases.
• Computer programmes — software, apps, firmware and their source code (treated as literary works).
• Artistic works — drawings, paintings, logos, labels, packaging artwork, photographs, illustrations, architectural drawings and works of artistic craftsmanship.
• Musical works and sound recordings — compositions, jingles and the recorded track (two different works with different owners).
• Cinematograph films — ad films, explainer videos and other audiovisual works.
• Dramatic works — scripts, choreography and screenplays.

What you cannot register: ideas, methods and business concepts (protect inventions with a patent), short names, titles and slogans on their own (these are better protected as a trademark), facts and news, and the shape or configuration of an industrial product (that is a design). The work must be original — your own skill and judgment, not copied — and expressed in some material form.

Who can apply — and who owns the work

The application must be signed by the applicant, who can be the author or the owner of the right. If the owner is not the author — a company registering software written by a freelancer, for instance — Rule 70(3) requires an original no-objection certificate from the author in the owner's favour.

Ownership is where most business disputes start, so settle it before filing:

• Employees. A work made by an employee in the course of employment under a contract of service generally belongs to the employer, unless the contract says otherwise.
• Freelancers and agencies. A freelancer is not an employee. For most works — software, copy, logos made by a design studio — the creator is the first owner unless rights are assigned. A few categories differ: for photographs, paintings, portraits, engravings and films made for payment at someone's instance, the person who commissioned them is the first owner, absent an agreement to the contrary.
• Assignment. An assignment must be in writing, signed, and identify the work, the rights, the duration and the territory. If the agreement does not state a period, it is deemed to be five years; if it does not state a territory, it is presumed to be India. A one-line invoice saying "all rights transferred" is weak evidence — use a proper assignment deed.

If you hire an agency to design your logo or build your app, get a written assignment of copyright and a signed NOC at the time you pay the final invoice. Chasing a designer for signatures years later is the most common reason businesses cannot register their own branding.

Copyright registration fees in 2026

These are the government fees from the Second Schedule to the Copyright Rules, 2013, as published by the Copyright Office in October 2026. Unlike patents, designs and trademarks, there is no reduced fee for startups, MSMEs or individuals — everyone pays the same.

Official copyright fees (per work)

Type of work	Registration (Form XIV)	Change in particulars (Form XV)
Literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work (incl. software)	₹500 per work	₹200 per work
Artistic work used on goods or services (logo, label, packaging)	₹2,000 per work	₹1,000 per work
Sound recording	₹2,000 per work	₹1,000 per work
Cinematograph film	₹5,000 per work	₹2,000 per work
Certified copy of a Register extract	₹500 per copy	—

Literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work (incl. software)

Registration (Form XIV)

₹500 per work

Change in particulars (Form XV)

₹200 per work

Artistic work used on goods or services (logo, label, packaging)

Registration (Form XIV)

₹2,000 per work

Change in particulars (Form XV)

₹1,000 per work

Sound recording

Registration (Form XIV)

₹2,000 per work

Change in particulars (Form XV)

₹1,000 per work

Cinematograph film

Registration (Form XIV)

₹5,000 per work

Change in particulars (Form XV)

₹2,000 per work

Certified copy of a Register extract

Registration (Form XIV)

₹500 per copy

Change in particulars (Form XV)

—

On top of this, a logo or label needs a search certificate from the Trade Marks Registry (Form TM-C): ₹9,000 when filed online, or ₹30,000 for an expedited search. Lawyers and agents charge professional fees on top; those are not set by law.

Worked example. A Pune snack brand wants to register four works: its pouch artwork, its brand mascot illustration, its ordering app and a 30-second radio jingle (the music and the recorded track).

• Pouch artwork used on goods: ₹2,000 per work + TM-C search ₹9,000 = ₹11,000
• Mascot illustration also used on packs and ads: ₹2,000 per work + ₹9,000 = ₹11,000
• Ordering app (computer programme): ₹500 per work
• Jingle: musical work ₹500 per work + sound recording ₹2,000 per work = ₹2,500

Total government fees: ₹25,000. Nearly 90% of that is for the two pieces of artwork used on goods — which is why many brands protect their packaging through a trademark and register as copyright only the artwork that is most likely to be copied.

How to file copyright registration online

The Copyright Office closed its physical filing counter in 2014, and nearly all applications are now filed online. Rule 70(8) still allows filing in person or by post, but online filing is faster and gives you a diary number at once.

Filing Form XIV on copyright.gov.in

1. 1

   Create a login on the Copyright Office portal

   Register on copyright.gov.in with an email address and mobile number. Agents and advocates can file for you with a power of attorney.

   Copyright Office e-filing
2. 2

   Choose the class of work and fill Form XIV

   Pick literary/dramatic, musical, artistic, software, film or sound recording. Enter the title, language, applicant and author details, whether the work is published or unpublished, and the year and country of first publication.

3. 3

   Complete the Statement of Particulars

   Give the nature of the applicant's interest (author, owner, assignee or licensee), details of any assignments or licences, and, for artistic works, whether the work is used on goods or services.

4. 4

   Upload the work and supporting documents

   Upload the work itself, the NOC from the author if you are not the author, any power of attorney, the TM-C certificate for logos and labels, and source code extracts for software.

5. 5

   Pay the fee and note the diary number

   Pay online. The portal issues a diary number, which you use to track the application and to reply to any discrepancy letter.

   Tip: If the status shows 'work awaited', the Office is still waiting for copies of the work — upload or post them promptly.

6. 6

   Serve notice on anyone with an interest

   Rule 70(9) requires you to notify anyone who claims an interest in the work or may dispute your rights — for example a co-author, a former partner or the agency that designed it.

Documents to keep ready:

• The work in its final form (PDF, image, audio or video file); two copies if it is unpublished and filed on paper
• Applicant ID and address proof; for a company or LLP, incorporation certificate and board authorisation
• Original NOC from the author if the applicant is the owner but not the author
• Assignment deed, if rights moved from a freelancer, agency or co-founder
• NOC from the publisher for published works where the publisher is not the applicant
• Trade Marks Registry search certificate (TM-C) for artistic works used on goods or services
• Affidavit under Rule 70(7) if the artwork could also be registered as a design
• First and last 10 pages of source code for software
• Power of attorney if an agent files

After filing: the 30-day window, examination and the certificate

Once the application is received, a 30 days waiting period runs under Rule 70(10). During this time anyone who claims an interest in the work or disputes your right to it can object. If no objection is received and the Registrar is satisfied that your particulars are correct, the work is entered in the Register of Copyrights.

If someone objects, or the Registrar doubts your particulars, Rule 70(11) lets the Registrar hold an inquiry and enter only those particulars he or she considers correct. Before rejecting any application, the Registrar must give you a hearing (Rule 70(12)).

Most applications do not face third-party objections; the more common hurdle is a discrepancy letter after the Office examines the papers — a missing NOC, an unclear statement of particulars, a mismatch between author and applicant, or no TM-C for a logo. Reply through the portal with the diary number and the missing documents. If you ignore it, the application can be treated as abandoned, and you have to file and pay again.

Registration is complete only when the Registrar or a Deputy Registrar signs and issues a copy of the entries in the Register (Rule 70(13)) — what most people call the copyright certificate. Without objections or discrepancies, practitioners commonly report two to four months from filing; an objection or a hearing adds more.

From filing to the registration extract

Day 0

Form XIV filed online, fee paid, diary number issued

Days 1–30

Objection window under Rule 70(10); notify interested persons

After 30 days

Examination of particulars; discrepancy letter if anything is missing

If objected

Inquiry and hearing before any rejection

Typically 2–4 months (estimate)

Entry in the Register; signed extract issued

Copyright for software

Software is a literary work, so a programme costs ₹500 per work to register. The 2021 amendment to Rule 70(5) changed what you file: you must submit at least the first 10 and last 10 pages of source code, or the whole source code if it is shorter than 20 pages, with no blocked-out or redacted portions. Many developers worry about exposing code; the answer is to choose the files that show your authorship without giving away secret logic — but the pages you file must be genuine and unredacted.

Some practical points for software businesses:

• Each version is a work. A substantial new version with new code is a separate work and needs its own application. Minor bug-fix releases do not need to be registered.
• Copyright protects code, not functionality. A competitor who writes different code to achieve the same features is not infringing. If the invention is a technical solution, look at patent protection.
• Open-source components stay under their own licences; you can register only the code you wrote.
• Ownership must be clean. If co-founders or contractors wrote parts of the code, collect assignments and NOCs before filing.

Logos, labels and packaging: copyright vs trademark vs design

A logo is an artistic work, so it can be registered as copyright. But because it is used on goods or services, section 45 of the Act and Rule 70(6) require the application to include a statement saying so and a certificate from the Registrar of Trade Marks that no identical or deceptively similar trademark has been registered or applied for by anyone else. You get this by filing Form TM-C with the Trade Marks Registry (₹9,000 online).

Do not treat this certificate, or the Rule 70(9) notice, as a formality. In Fortune Marketing v. Gujarat Pesticides (decided 29 May 2026), the Delhi High Court set aside a copyright registration for packaging label artwork because the Trade Marks search certificate had reported no conflict even though the Registry had earlier flagged the rival ZOOOK mark, and because the applicant had not notified the rival brand owner it knew about. The court said section 45 stops anyone getting through copyright the protection it could not get as a trademark. If your logo is similar to an existing brand, a copyright certificate will not protect you.

The three rights do different jobs:

There is also a trap for artwork that is applied to products. Under section 15(2) of the Act, copyright in a design that is capable of registration under the Designs Act, 2000, but is not registered, ends once the article has been reproduced more than 50 times by an industrial process. That is why Rule 70(7) asks for an affidavit that such artwork has not been registered as a design and has not been applied industrially more than 50 times. For a textile print or a product pattern you plan to mass-produce, register the design instead.

Common mistakes that delay or sink applications

Filing several works in one application. Rule 70(2) allows one work per application. A logo in three colours, or a book series, means separate filings.

Missing NOC or assignment. If the applicant is a company and the author is a person, attach the author's NOC. If the author is a freelancer, attach the assignment.

Wrong category for logos. Filing a logo as an ordinary artistic work for ₹500 per work without the TM-C certificate invites a discrepancy letter; it is used on goods, so it attracts ₹2,000 per work and the certificate.

Redacted source code. Black boxes over parts of the code break Rule 70(5).

Wrong publication status. Courts have criticised applicants who declared the same work as published in one filing and unpublished in another. Give the true date and country of first publication.

Ignoring the discrepancy letter. Reply with the diary number before the deadline the letter states, or the application can be closed as abandoned.

Which protection fits your work?

Step 1

Text, code, music, art, video

copyright — automatic; register for proof

Step 2

Brand name or logo as a badge of origin

trademark

Step 3

Shape or pattern of a mass-produced product

design — before 50 industrial copies

Step 4

New technical solution

patent

Enforcement and what changed recently

A registration certificate makes enforcement easier but does not enforce itself. Civil remedies — injunctions, damages and accounts of profits — are pursued in the district court or a High Court with original jurisdiction. Knowingly infringing copyright is also a criminal offence under section 63, punishable with imprisonment of six months to three years and a fine of ₹50,000 to ₹2 lakh, and police officers of sub-inspector rank and above can seize infringing copies.

The fees and the registration procedure have not changed since the Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2021, which brought in the unredacted source-code rule, extended the higher artistic-work fee to works used on services, and dropped the old fee for border measures. The bigger debate now is artificial intelligence: in December 2025 DPIIT published a working paper proposing a mandatory blanket licence, with royalties, for training AI models on copyright works. As of October 2026 it remains a proposal and does not change how you register a work. Works created entirely by AI, without a human author's creative input, sit uneasily with registration rules that require a named author, so record the human contribution if you use AI tools in your workflow.

Official links

• Copyright Office e-filingFile Form XIV, reply to discrepancies, track by diary number
• Copyright Rules, 2013 — Second Schedule (fees)Current official fees
• Copyright Rules, 2013 — Rule 70 (registration)What to file, NOC, source code, TM certificate, 30-day period
• Hand Book of Copyright LawCopyright Office FAQs on ownership, term and assignment
• Trade Marks e-filing (Form TM-C)Search certificate for logos and labels

What to do next

List the works your business actually earns from — packaging art, software, course content, recordings — and check who owns each one. Get written assignments from freelancers and agencies, then register the works most likely to be copied. Protect the brand name itself with a trademark (our business name generator helps you pick a distinctive one), and if you are a DPIIT-recognised startup, see how Startup India recognition cuts the fees for trademarks, designs and patents.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

Is copyright registration mandatory in India?

No. Copyright arises automatically the moment an original work is created and fixed, and Indian law requires no formality to own it. Registration is optional, but the certificate and the entries in the Register of Copyrights are treated as prima facie evidence of ownership in court, which makes infringement cases, takedowns and licensing deals much easier to win and negotiate.

What is the government fee for copyright registration?

Under the Second Schedule to the Copyright Rules, 2013, the fee is ₹500 per work for a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work (software counts as literary), ₹2,000 per work for an artistic work used on goods or services such as a logo or label, ₹2,000 per work for a sound recording and ₹5,000 per work for a film. Each application covers one work.

How long does copyright registration take?

The rules build in a 30 days waiting period for objections after the application is received. After that, the Copyright Office examines the application and may raise discrepancies. In practice, applications without objections or defects are commonly reported to take about two to four months; that is an industry estimate, not an official service standard.

Can I register copyright in my logo?

Yes, a logo is an artistic work. Because it is used on goods or services, the fee is ₹2,000 per work and you must attach a search certificate from the Trade Marks Registry (Form TM-C, ₹9,000 online) showing no identical or deceptively similar mark is registered or applied for by someone else. Copyright protects the artwork; to protect the brand name and logo as a badge of origin, also file a trademark.

How do I register copyright for software?

Software is registered as a literary work for ₹500 per work per programme. Rule 70(5) requires at least the first 10 and last 10 pages of source code, or the whole code if it is under 20 pages, with nothing blocked out or redacted. Each version with substantial new code is a separate work and needs its own application.

How long does copyright last in India?

For literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works published in the author's lifetime, copyright lasts for the author's lifetime plus 60 years, counted from the year after the author's death. For films, sound recordings, anonymous works and government works, the 60 years run from publication. Registration does not extend the term.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 9 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Copyright Rules, 2013 — Second Schedule (fees) — Copyright Office, DPIIT (IP India) · accessed 9 October 2026
2. 2.Copyright Rules, 2013 — Chapter XIII (Registration of Copyright), rules 69–74 — Copyright Office, DPIIT (IP India) · accessed 9 October 2026
3. 3.A Hand Book of Copyright Law — Copyright Office, Government of India · accessed 9 October 2026
4. 4.Forms and official fees — Trade Marks (Form TM-C) — IP India · accessed 9 October 2026
5. 5.Filing of Copyright Applications in India — S.S. Rana & Co. · accessed 9 October 2026
6. 6.Delhi High Court cancels ZOOOK copyright registration secured through a flawed trade marks search certificate — S.S. Rana & Co. · accessed 9 October 2026
7. 7.India proposal on AI developers' use of copyrighted content needs clarity — Asia IP · accessed 9 October 2026