GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2745

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 04.12.2019

UNAUTHORIZED / ILLEGAL SOFTWARE

2745 SHRI ANANTKUMAR HEGDE:

Will the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has developed or developing any mechanism to monitor/control the usage of unauthorized/illegal software under copy right act of India or any piracy act;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the private companies are outsourced/allowed to monitor/control the same independently; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and the guidelines laid down by the Government in this regard?

ANSWER

MINISTER FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) to (d): No such proposal is under consideration in the copyright office. However, Software being the subject matter of copyright is protected under the Indian Copyright Act. The law provides both civil as well as criminal remedy to the owner of Copyright software against any unlawful usage of software. As per Section 63 (B) of the Copyright Act, “any person who knowingly makes use on a computer of an infringing copy of a computer programme shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven days but which may extend to three years and with fine which shall not be less than fifty thousand rupees but which may extend to two lakh rupees.