Question:medium

In the case of a work made or first published by or under the direction or control of any public undertaking, _____ shall,in the absence of any agreement to the contrary,be the first owner of the copyright therein.

Updated On: Jul 13, 2026
  • Government
  • Such public undertaking
  • Both (A) and (B)
  • None of the above
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Section 17 of the Copyright Act sets default rules for who owns copyright first, before any assignment happens. Different clauses of Section 17 cover different situations, government works, works made in the course of employment, and works tied to a public undertaking, so picking the right clause for this question means matching the fact pattern to the right sub-clause.

  1. Government: Section 17(d) governs works made or published by or under the direction of the government itself, a distinct category from a public undertaking.
  2. Such public undertaking: Section 17(dd) is written for exactly this situation, a work made or first published by or under the direction or control of a public undertaking. It says that undertaking is the first owner unless there is an agreement saying otherwise, which is exactly what the question describes.
  3. Both (A) and (B): wrong, because the Act separates government and public undertaking into two different clauses with two different default owners, they are not combined for one fact pattern.
  4. None of the above: wrong, since Section 17(dd) squarely answers the question.

Let's summarize:

  • Section 17(d): government is first owner of government works.
  • Section 17(dd): the public undertaking itself is first owner of works made or published under its direction or control.

The first owner here is such public undertaking.

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