Skip to content
Log in
Sponsored Have an interesting project or opportunity? → Hire me ↗
Sponsored Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, Global Edition Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, Global Edition
#artificial intelligence Open access

Intellectual Property Rights in The Indian Entertainment Industry: Emerging Issues in Music, Cinema and OTT Platforms

Madhuri V. Sarwade
Aug 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Abstract

Abstract India’s entertainment economy increasingly depends upon digital circulation, platform licensing and data-driven distribution. Music is consumed through streaming services, films move rapidly from theatres to online platforms, and over-the-top services commission, acquire and exploit content across multiple territories. These developments have expanded audiences and created new markets, but they have also exposed structural weaknesses in the protection and administration of intellectual property rights. This article examines emerging copyright and related-rights issues affecting music, cinema and OTT platforms in India. It adopts a doctrinal and analytical method, relying on the Copyright Act, 1957, the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012, the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Cinematograph Act, 1952 as amended in 2023, relevant rules, international instruments and judicial decisions. The article argues that the principal difficulty is not the absence of rights, but the fragmentation of ownership, licensing and enforcement. A single song or film may contain separate rights in lyrics, composition, sound recording, screenplay, performance, artwork and the audiovisual work itself. Digital exploitation further divides these rights by territory, language, duration, device, subscription model and mode of communication. Disputes therefore arise over royalty sharing, statutory licensing, online streaming, platform liability, piracy, synthetic performances, voice cloning and the commercial use of celebrity identity. Indian courts have responded through intermediary-liability principles, dynamic injunctions and personality-rights remedies, yet the legal position remains uneven in relation to generative artificial intelligence, transparent royalty accounting and cross-platform licensing. The article recommends clearer digital licensing standards, auditable royalty systems, stronger collective management, proportionate notice-and-action procedures, technologically informed anti-piracy remedies and a consent-based framework for artificial intelligence uses of voice, likeness and performance. A coherent approach must protect creators and performers without imposing indiscriminate liability on legitimate intermediaries. Such balance is necessary to sustain cultural production, promote lawful digital markets and preserve public access to diverse entertainment in India.

DOI
View source

Similar papers

#artificial intelligence Open access May 2023

Evaluating the Performance of Large Language Models on GAOKAO Benchmark

GAOKAO-Bench is introduced, an intuitive benchmark that employs questions from the Chinese GAOKAO examination as test samples, including both subjective and objective questions that contribute a robust evaluation benchmark for future large language models and offers valuable insights into the advantages and limitations of such models.

Xiaotian Zhang, Chun-yan Li, Yi Zong et al. · 216 citations · ⚡17
#artificial intelligence Conference Open access Apr 2020

ECCOLA - a Method for Implementing Ethically Aligned AI Systems

Various recent Artificial Intelligence (AI) system failures, some of which have made the global headlines, have highlighted issues in these systems. These failures have resulted in calls for more ethical AI systems that better take into account their effects on various stakeholders. However, implementing AI ethics into practice is still an on-going challenge. High-level guidelines for doing so exist, devised by governments and private organizations alike, but lack practicality for developers. To address this issue, in this paper, we present a method for implementing AI ethics. The method, ECCOLA, has been iteratively developed using a cyclical action design research approach. The method aims at making the high-level AI ethics principles more practical, making it possible for developers to more easily implement them in practice.

Ville Vakkuri, Kai-Kristian Kemell, P. Abrahamsson · 64 citations · ⚡6
#artificial intelligence May 2023

Let the Flows Tell: Solving Graph Combinatorial Optimization Problems with GFlowNets

This paper designs Markov decision processes (MDPs) for different combinatorial problems and proposes to train conditional GFlowNets to sample from the solution space and demonstrates that GFlowNet policies can efficiently find high-quality solutions.

Dinghuai Zhang, H. Dai, Esmeralda S. Whitammer et al. · 59 citations · ⚡8
#artificial intelligence Jun 2019

Ethically Aligned Design of Autonomous Systems: Industry viewpoint and an empirical study

Progress in the field of artificial intelligence has been accelerating rapidly in the past two decades. Various autonomous systems from purely digital ones to autonomous vehicles are being developed and deployed out on the field. As these systems exert a growing impact on society, ethics in relation to artificial intelligence and autonomous systems have recently seen growing attention among the academia. However, the current literature on the topic has focused almost exclusively on theory and more specifically on conceptualization in the area. To widen the body of knowledge in the area, we conduct an empirical study on the current state of practice in artificial intelligence ethics. We do so by means of a multiple case study of five case companies, the results of which indicate a gap between research and practice in the area. Based on our findings we propose ways to tackle the gap.

Ville Vakkuri, Kai-Kristian Kemell, Joni Kultanen et al. · 56 citations · ⚡6
#artificial intelligence Conference Open access Jun 2018

The Key Concepts of Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

The growing influence and decision-making capacities of Autonomous systems and Artificial Intelligence in our lives force us to consider the values embedded in these systems. But how ethics should be implemented into these systems? In this study, the solution is seen on philosophical conceptualization as a framework to form practical implementation model for ethics of AI. To take the first steps on conceptualization main concepts used on the field needs to be identified. A keyword based Systematic Mapping Study (SMS) on the keywords used in AI and ethics was conducted to help in identifying, defying and comparing main concepts used in current AI ethics discourse. Out of 1062 papers retrieved SMS discovered 37 re-occurring keywords in 83 academic papers. We suggest that the focus on finding keywords is the first step in guiding and providing direction for future research in the AI ethics field.

Ville Vakkuri, P. Abrahamsson · 39 citations · ⚡2
#artificial intelligence Oct 2019

AI Ethics in Industry: A Research Framework

Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems exert a growing influence on our society. As they become more ubiquitous, their potential negative impacts also become evident through various real-world incidents. Following such early incidents, academic and public discussion on AI ethics has highlighted the need for implementing ethics in AI system development. However, little currently exists in the way of frameworks for understanding the practical implementation of AI ethics. In this paper, we discuss a research framework for implementing AI ethics in industrial settings. The framework presents a starting point for empirical studies into AI ethics but is still being developed further based on its practical utilization.

Ville Vakkuri, Kai-Kristian Kemell, P. Abrahamsson · 27 citations · ⚡3

Related blog posts