Delhi HC nixes challenge to Satyajit Ray’s Nayak copyright

NEW DELHI: Satyajit Ray was the first copyright owner of Nayak and the right to novelise its screenplay remains vested in him and his family, the Delhi HC held Tuesday, rejecting a plea by producers of the 1966 Bengali film for an injunction against the novelisation of the movie’s screenplay.
“As the first owner of the copyright in the screenplay of the film Nayak, therefore, the right to novelise the screenplay is also vested in Satyajit Ray,” a single-judge bench of Justice C Harishankar ruled on the plea by producers, RD Bansal (Karta of RDB & Co). As per the HC, Ray had the right to novelise the screenplay and that right could be assigned by him and, after his demise, by “his son and others on whom the right devolved”.
“The assignment of right to novelise screenplay by (Ray’s son) Sandip Ray and Society for Preservation of Satyajit Ray Archives in favour of defendant is in accordance with (Copyright) Act,” he said, rejecting request for injunction against HarperCollins.
Bhaskar Chattopadhyay novelised the film’s screenplay and the book was published by HarperCollins.