NEW DELHI: The Copyright (Amendment) Act 2012 passed by Parliament has come into effect declaring authors as owners of the copyright, which cannot be assigned to the producers as was the practice till now.

The act has been published in the official gazette.

It will now become mandatory for broadcasters - both radio and television - to pay royalty to the owners of the copyright each time a work of art is broadcast. It bans people from bringing out cover versions of any literary, dramatic or musical work for five years from the first recording of the original creation.

The law also seeks to remove operational difficulties and address newer issues related to the digital world.

The amendments to the Copyright Act 1958, aims at according unassignable rights to 'creative artists' such as lyricists, playback singers, music directors, film directors and dialogue writers who will be paid royalty every time the movie they have worked in is aired on a television channel.

A statutory licence is an exception under Copyright Act. It puts limits on the basic principle of the copyright law that authors and creators should have the exclusive right to control the dissemination of their work. Under statutory licensing, the royalty or remuneration for the author or creator is specified by law or such set negotiation.