Section 27 of the Copyright Act, 1957: Term of Copyright in Sound Recordings
Section 27 of the Copyright Act, 1957 determines how long copyright subsists in a sound recording in India. The statutory term is 60 years, calculated from the beginning of the calendar year immediately following the year in which the sound recording is published.
What Section 27 provides
Section 27 - Term of copyright in sound recording: In the case of a sound recording, copyright subsists until 60 years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the sound recording is published.
The present wording reflects earlier amendments to the Act. The expression "sound recording" replaced the former expression "record" with effect from 10 May 1995, and the term had earlier been increased from 50 years to 60 years with effect from 28 October 1991.
Meaning of sound recording under Section 2(xx)
Section 2(xx) of the Copyright Act defines a sound recording as a recording of sounds from which those sounds may be produced, regardless of the medium on which the recording is made or the method by which the sounds are produced. The definition is technology-neutral and can cover recorded music, speech, an audiobook or other recorded audio.
The Copyright Office sound-recording manual also explains that recorded audio is treated as a sound recording and identifies Section 27 as prescribing a 60-year term beginning with the year following first publication.
How the 60-year copyright term is calculated
The year of publication is not counted as the first year of the statutory term. The calculation starts on 1 January of the calendar year immediately following publication and continues for 60 years.
Example: If a sound recording is first published at any time during 2026, the 60-year period begins on 1 January 2027. On that calculation, copyright under Section 27 continues through 31 December 2086, subject to the Act and the facts applicable to the work.
Copyright rights in a sound recording
The duration rule in Section 27 should be read with the other provisions of the Copyright Act. Section 14(e) specifies the acts comprised in copyright in a sound recording, including making another sound recording embodying it, selling or giving on commercial rental copies in the circumstances specified by the Act, and communicating the sound recording to the public.
A sound recording may also contain or embody other copyright-protected subject matter, such as a musical work or literary lyrics. The term applicable to the sound recording itself under Section 27 should therefore not automatically be treated as determining the copyright term of every underlying work embodied in that recording.
Current legal position
The Copyright Office states that the Copyright Act, 1957 has undergone several amendments, with the 2012 amendment being particularly substantial. The official Copyright Office material continues to identify 60 years as the term of protection for sound recordings under Section 27.
Official resources
For the statutory text and administrative guidance, see the Copyright Act, 1957 on the Copyright Office website, the Copyright Office Sound Recording Manual, and the Copyright Office, Government of India.
Related provisions
Readers may also refer to Section 22 - term of copyright in published literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, Section 23 - anonymous and pseudonymous works, Section 24 - posthumous works, Section 26 - cinematograph films, and Section 28 - Government works.
This article is intended for general legal information. The application of copyright law may depend on the publication history, ownership, underlying works, agreements and other facts of a particular matter.
Updated: 21 September 2026