New Delhi: To cope with the problem of piracy in the domain of photojournalism, professional photographers must be aware of their lawful rights in order to flourish, Chief Justice of India (CJI) P Sathasivam said on Monday.
Speaking at an event where he presented National Photography awards, Sathasivam said that in contemporary times, the daunting sphere for photojournalism is piracy.
"Although copyright protection for your photos exists the moment the work is created but in the case of infringement you`ll need to have registered your copyright for enforcing your right.
"Besides protecting your work, registering your copyright makes it easier for a potential infringer to track you down and legitimately obtain a license to use your work, avoiding the hassle of litigation," he said.
The Chief Justice conferred 13 awards in various categories which included the Life-Time Achievement Award to eminent photographer Rajesh Bedi. Awards were also conferred in the special mention category for both Amateur and Professional segments.
Later speaking to reporters, Sathasivam said the role of the media is paramount because whatever the government does, whatever order the court passes, only through the media it reaches the public. He said the media must convey the correct things to the public.
"My view is you people are conveying correctly but depends upon your policies on giving the caption, giving the message. It goes to the public in a different way, that`s all. Substance is one but depending upon your policies you are giving a caption, you are giving importance, that`s all.
Otherwise, you people are doing a good job," Sathasivam told reporters here.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion of the 3rd National Photography awards, I&B Secretary Bimal Julka said the awards conferred in various categories was an attempt to capture the growth of professionalism and creativity within the growing dimensions of photojournalism.
Among eminent lensmen who were honoured the are J Suresh who was chosen Best Professional Photographer of the Year 2012-13 while the Special Mention Awards (Professional) were given to Atul Yadav, Dinesh Shukla, Chauhan Pravinsinh R, Sudipto Das and Dipayan Bhar. Awards were also given in the amateur category.
