Author’s special rights
Section 57 of the Copyright Act, 1957 deals with author’s special rights. Independently of the authors copyright and even after the assignment either wholly or partially of the said copyright, the author of a work shall have the right-- (a) to claim authorship of the work; The Act came into force on 21 Jan 1958.
1[(1) Independently of the authors copyright and even after the assignment either wholly or partially of the said copyright, the author of a work shall have the right--
(a) to claim authorship of the work; and
((b) to restrain or claim damages in respect of any distortion, mutilation, modification or other act in relation to the said work 2*** if such distortion, mutilation, modification or other act would be prejudicial to his honour or reputation:
Provided that the author shall not have any right to restrain or claim damages in respect of any adaptation of a computer programme to which clause (aa) of sub-section (1) of section 52 applies.
Explanation.-- Failure to display a work or to display it to the satisfaction of the author shall not be deemed to be an infringement of the rights conferred by this section.]
(2) The right conferred upon an author of a work by sub-section (1), 3***, may be exercised by the legal representatives of the author.
Section 57, The Copyright Act, 1957 (Act 14 of 1957).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Sholay Media and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. v. Parag Sanghavi
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Final Order order-1.pdf 2015-08-24 DATE VERIFIED. Manmohan Singh J. CS(OS) 1892/2006. Isolate: defendants' remake Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag distorted/mutilated Sholay; Copyright Act s.57 author's special (moral) rights plus infringement. Decree includes injunction against infringing moral rights / distorting or mutilating the film. Distinctive. Not Ramesh Sippy v Shaan Uttamsingh (recites 57, holding is delay). Not Echo Recording v Ilaiyaraja (delay condonation). Map 57 only — 14/51 already filled.
On this section: Copyright Act s.57 author's special rights: a remake that distorts or mutilates Sholay (Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag) infringes moral rights; injunction against distorting/mutilating and infringing those special rights (Sholay Media / Parag Sanghavi).
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 57
What have the courts held on Section 57 of the Copyright Act?
Sholay Media and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. v. Parag Sanghavi (24 Aug 2015) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Copyright Act s.57 author's special rights: a remake that distorts or mutilates Sholay (Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag) infringes moral rights; injunction against distorting/mutilating and infringing those special rights (Sholay Media / Parag Sanghavi).
How do I find court cases under Section 57 of the Copyright Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Copyright Act 57, section 57 Copyright Act, section 57 of the Copyright Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Sholay Media and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. v. Parag Sanghavi (24 Aug 2015).
What should I read with Section 57 of the Copyright Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 52 (Certain acts not to be infringement of copyright), so none of them can safely be read on its own.
When did Section 57 of the Copyright Act come into force?
Section 57 of the Copyright Act, cited as Copyright Act 57, came into force on 21 Jan 1958, having been enacted on 04 Jun 1957. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.