If you write literature, fiction, songs or plays of if you’re an artist of any kind, the only way to protect your work and keep others from claiming ownership is register the work for copyright. A copyright is a collection of rights that protects creative works from being misused. The copyright provisions in India under the Copyright Act 1957 include the right to reproduce works, to distribute copies, to prepare derivative works, and to perform and display the work publicly. Once the copyright is registered, only the author or creator can claim any economic benefit resulting from creating the work.
Copyright registration usually protects the work from being copied, misused or displayed without the creator’s permissions for 60 years. For films, photographs, sound recordings, etc. this period starts from the date of publication. In the case of literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works, copyright protection is provided for 60 years after the author’s death.
If someone else wants to take credit for your hard work, without a registered copyright, there is no real way to prove that you alone are the creator. Every work of art you produce must be copyright registered individually. It takes a little effort but in the long run, it’s worth it.