Dear Priyanka,
Thank you for your query! I am Aadil and I will try to answer your question.
The short answer to your question is 5 years, unless an agreement states otherwise.
As the meaning of the word ‘biopic contract’ is unclear, it shall be assumed to mean the assignment of the copyright.
Copyright laws in India are discussed in the Copyright Act of 1957. It defines a copyright in its section 14 as the exclusive right to do or authorise to do any act like reproducing, copying, performing, translating, adapting, etc., of any literary, dramatic, musical, or literary work, or even a computer programme. As per section 17 of the same act, the first owner of the copyright of a literary, dramatic, artistic, or musical work shall be the author of the work, unless said work was created during the course of employment in a publishing company for the purposes of the publishing company, in which case the rights shall lie with the said company.
The owner of the copyright possesses the right to assign this copyright to anyone, for a particular term and subject to limitations, or for the whole term of the copyright and without any limits, and can be given wholly or partially. This assignment must be given in writing and should be signed by the assignor or his agent. As per section 19(5) of the Copyright Act, if the period of assignment is not stated, it will be assumed to be five years from the date of assignment.
I hope this helps. Thank you for your time and patience!
Regards,
Aadil
