Every few weeks someone asks us the same thing, usually right after a song starts doing well. "Bhai, copyright kaise karwayein? Koi chura lega toh?" Sometimes it's a Bhojpuri singer whose track just crossed a few lakh views. Sometimes it's a lyricist from Rohtak who heard his lines in someone else's reel.
The honest answer has two parts. Your song is already protected by copyright, today, without any form. But registering it with the Copyright Office gives you a dated government record that is very hard to argue with if a dispute ever reaches a court. This guide covers what registration actually does, which parts of a song you can register, what it costs, and how the online filing works, step by step.
Your song is protected the moment you make it
The Copyright Office is clear on this. In its official FAQ, it says acquisition of copyright "is automatic and it does not require any formality". The moment you write the lyrics, compose the tune and record the track, it's yours.
So why register at all? The same FAQ answers that too: the registration certificate and the entries in the Register of Copyrights "serve as prima facie evidence in a court of law" in an ownership dispute. In plain words, if someone copies your song and claims it as theirs, you walk in with a government document dated before their claim. Without it, you're relying on WhatsApp voice notes, project files and witnesses. Those can still work, but it's a harder fight.
A song is actually three separate works
This is where most artists get confused. Indian copyright law doesn't treat "a song" as one thing. For registration, it's usually split like this:
- The lyrics are a literary work.
- The tune or composition is a musical work.
- The final recorded audio is a sound recording.
The Copyright Rules require one application per work (Rule 70(2)). So one Haryanvi song where you wrote the words, made the tune and paid for the recording could mean three separate applications.
You don't have to register all three. A lyricist who only writes might register just the lyrics. A small label that owns the master might care most about the sound recording.
What it costs
The government fees are listed on IP India's official fee page and in the Second Schedule of the Copyright Rules:
- Literary or musical work (lyrics, or the composition): ₹500 per work
- Sound recording: ₹2,000 per work
So lyrics plus composition plus recording comes to ₹3,000 in government fees for one song. If you hire a lawyer or an agent to file for you, their charges are extra and vary a lot. Filing yourself is possible and many artists do it.
Before you start: get these ready
Sort these out first. Half the delays we see come from missing papers, not from the Copyright Office.
1. The work itself in the right format. IP India's Form XIV e-filing page says sound recordings are uploaded as MP3, and literary and musical works as a PDF under 10 MB. For lyrics, a clean typed PDF works. For a composition, notation or a written description of the melody in a PDF. 2. A scanned signature, under 512 KB, as that page specifies. 3. Every author's details. Name, address, nationality, for each person who wrote or composed. 4. An NOC if you're not the author. Rule 70(3) says that if the owner, not the author, applies, they must attach a no objection certificate from the author. This matters for labels. If a Punjabi label paid a writer for lyrics, the label needs that writer's NOC to register the lyrics in its own name. 5. Publication details, if the song is already out: the year and country of first publication.
Filing online, step by step
The process below follows IP India's own instructions on the Form XIV page.
1. Go to the Copyright e-filing portal through IP India and create a new user account. Note your user ID and password somewhere safe. 2. Log in and click "Click for online Copyright Registration". 3. Fill Form XIV and save it. This is where you choose the type of work, such as literary, musical or sound recording. 4. Fill the Statement of Particulars: title, language, authors, owner, whether it's published. 5. Fill the Statement of Further Particulars (this applies to literary, musical and artistic works). 6. Pay the fee through the online payment gateway. 7. Upload the work, then note the Diary Number that's generated. You'll need it to track everything later. 8. Print the acknowledgement slip and the registration form. The page asks you to send one hard copy of each by post to the Copyright Office, so don't skip this step.
Rule 70(9) also asks the applicant to give notice of the application to anyone who claims an interest in the work. If you co-wrote a song, tell your co-writer in writing before you file. It saves trouble later.
What happens after you file
According to the Copyright Office FAQ, there is a mandatory 30-day waiting period after you get the diary number, so anyone can object. If nobody objects, an examiner checks the application. If they find a discrepancy, you're ordinarily given 45 days to fix it. The Office's own estimate is around 2 to 3 months for registration in the normal course. If someone does object, the Registrar hears both sides before deciding.
Don't wait for the certificate to release your song. Registration and release can happen in parallel. Many artists file the lyrics and composition a few weeks before release day and the sound recording once the final master is ready.
What registration won't do for you
It helps to know the limits, so you spend your ₹500 or ₹2,000 with the right expectations.
- It won't collect money. Royalties from streaming come through your distributor. Royalties for lyricists and composers from public performance come through IPRS. Our guide on IPRS registration for lyricists and composers explains that part.
- It won't stop YouTube re-uploads by itself. That's Content ID's job, and it works off the audio your distributor delivers, not your certificate. A certificate is still strong proof if a claim is disputed, as we covered in our guide on copyright claims on your own song.
- It won't make someone else's work yours. You can't register a cover of a film song, or the old traditional words of a folk geet or bhajan, as your own. Your new tune, your new verses and your own recording are a different matter. If you're releasing a cover, read how to clear a cover song in India first.
- It doesn't protect a title. The Office's FAQ notes that copyright doesn't ordinarily protect titles, names or short phrases. "Balam Pardesi" as a title isn't something you can lock up.
Is it worth it for every song?
Not always. If you put out a devotional track every week, registering each one adds up fast. A practical middle path we've seen work: register the songs that are growing, the ones you're pitching for sync or licensing, and anything written with collaborators where a future disagreement is possible. Keep dated project files, emails and a written split sheet for the rest.
Where RMX fits in
Registration proves the song is yours. Distribution is what gets it heard and paid. RMX Music delivers to 95+ platforms, including Spotify, JioSaavn, YouTube Music and Instagram, passes on 95% of royalties, and offers Content ID protection from the dashboard so re-uploads earn for you instead of someone else. More than 3,000 artists and 2,200+ labels have released 20,000+ tracks through us, a lot of them Bhojpuri, Haryanvi, Punjabi, Rajasthani and devotional songs. A Label account is a one-time ₹4,500 for life, and an Agent account is ₹15,000 for life if you handle several labels.
If you've got a song you care about enough to register, it deserves a proper release too. Create your RMX account and put it out the right way.
*This guide is general information based on the Copyright Office's published rules and FAQs, not legal advice. For a contract dispute or a contested ownership claim, talk to a copyright lawyer.*