Amended Copyright Act blessing for artists: Vishal Bhardwaj

Mumbai, Feb 15 (IANS) Filmmaker and composer Vishal Bhardwaj says that the Copyright Amendment Bill, if passed in Lok Sabha, would certainly be a blessing for lyricists and music directors of the the Indian film industry.

'Nothing can be better than this for music composers and artists. The Copyright Amendment Bill that going to be introduced in parliament would be a big blessing for the artist fraternity,' Bhardwaj, who has made and given the music for films like 'Omkara' and 'Maqbool', told IANS.

The proposed amendment to the Copyright Act would mandate producers sharing 50 percent of music royalties with lyricists and composers.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal introduced the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 in the Rajya Sabha April 19, 2010.

It would facilitate joint ownership of the copyright for both the producer and the director. Until now, the producers were the sole owners of the copyright.