[This post has been authored by SpicyIP intern Aditi Agrawal. Aditi is a final-year B.A., LL.B (IPR Hons.) student at The ICFAI University, Dehradun.]
After years of advocacy by screenwriters seeking better protection and management of their creative rights, the Screenwriters Rights Association of India (SRAI) has been finally registered as a Copyright Society (Reg. No. CS/06/2024) under Section 33(3) of the Copyright Act, 1957. This comes as the Central Government recently granted the Screenwriters Rights Association of India (SRAI) registration as a copyright society with respect to dramatic works and literary works. The timing could not have been better, given the massive growth in India’s entertainment industry, especially in digital content. The registration empowers SRAI to function as a collective management organization specifically for screenwriters.
This landmark achievement brings several substantial benefits for screenwriters across the country. Through SRAI, screenwriters, who historically faced challenges in securing the fair value due to them, can now negotiate collectively, giving them stronger positioning in discussions with producers, platforms, and broadcasters. While their application was due, SRAI invited stakeholders such as the Producers Guild, the Indian Film & TV Producers Council, the Motion Picture Association, broadcasters, OTT platforms, and others to communicate each others’ concerns and resolve any issues related to the rights of screenwriters.
With SRAI officially registered under the Copyright Act, 1957, it now has the legal authority to issue and grant licenses for the use of screenwriters’ works, collect royalties on behalf of its members, enter into agreements with foreign societies for rights administration, publish its tariff scheme, and distribute collected royalties to rightful beneficiaries, while maintaining transparency in royalty collection and distribution. The registration also brings much-needed structure to the industry as the producers and platforms now have a clear channel for licensing screenwriting works, which should reduce disputes and create consistent practices.
The impact of copyright societies extends beyond collecting royalties. In Phonographic Performance Ltd. v. Lizard Lounge & Ors., the Delhi High Court clarified the threefold purpose of copyright societies, i.e., to administer licenses, recover fees, and prosecute infringement claims. The court recognized that individual copyright owners face challenges in managing these aspects independently, and the creation of a Copyright Society is to serve all the three objectives without denuding the author of its own individual rights. SRAI’s registration therefore represents a significant step toward securing the rights of screenwriters across the country.
SRAI was formed in 2017 by senior screenwriters and producers Anjum Rajabali, Md. Badiuzzaman a.k.a. Zaman Habib, Javed Akhtar, Kamlesh Pandey, Saket Chaudhary, Vipul Shah, Juhi Chaturvedi, among others (See Annexure 2). It had initially applied for registration as a copyright society back, but then strangely the application disappeared for unknown reasons (see the discussion here). Eventually, a revised application in the year 2020 was filed before the Registrar of Copyrights, for registration as a Copyright Society under section 33 of the Copyright Act, 1957, in literary and dramatic works, such as the story, script, screenplay, dialogues or any other literary works (excluding lyrics). As per their latest website, Anjum Rajabali is the chairperson of the Association with Saket Chaudhary, Zama Habib, Mitesh Shah, Vijay Krishna Acharya, Priti Shahani, and R. Balki as its directors. After its successful registration, SRAI joins the league of existing copyright societies like Recorded Music Performance Ltd (RMPL), Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS), Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL India) in protecting creators’ rights. Looking ahead, this development should positively shape the future of storytelling in India.