STAFF NEWS & ANALYSIS

Delhi Cuts Copyright: Why Are Government Courts Involved at All?

By Daily Bell Staff – September 17, 2016

Observing that “copyright is not a divine right”, the Delhi high court on Friday allowed Delhi University to issue photocopies of major textbooks published by leading publishers. The Justice held that the act of students getting books copied from DU’s library or its authorised photocopy shop enjoys protection under Section 52 of the Copyright Act, which exempts education from copyright infringement. – Times of India

We`ve written numerous times about the idiocy of state-mandated intellectual property rights and now a top court in India has summarized our argument in six words:

“Copyright is not a divine right.”

In fact, it is not a “right” at all. But try to defy copyright or patent law and you may end up in jail. Such “property rights” are