Copyright Protection Through Digital Rights Management in India:A Non-Essential Imposition

Copyright is a bundle of rights granted to the creator in recognition of his effort, creativity and expression. However, copyright is limited by public interest considerations whereby the society is entitled to the benefits of the copyrighted work subject to certain restrictions that a copyright holder or creator may impose. This presents an unresolved problem of achieving a fair balance between competing interests of an owner of copyright and society at large. The present paper critically examines the introduction of digital rights management in Indian Copyright Law in contrast to larger public interest. In the context of digital content and easier digital replication of copyrighted content, the dilemma is to achieve a balance between the contesting claims of copyright holders and fair-users to fully realise right to freedom of speech and expression.