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Aamir Khan quits copyright panel

Mumbai/New Delhi: Actor Aamir Khan has resigned from the 10-member committee set up by Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal to suggest changes in the 53-year-old Copyright Act, following sharp differences with some members.

Two days after the formation of the committee, Mr. Khan wrote to Mr. Sibal saying he was opting out of the panel as he was publicly being attacked by some people.

The Minister said he regretted that Mr. Khan had to take such a step, but said the actor was correct from his point of view.

“It seems to me that there is an attempt by certain people to attack me in public by printing lies about me, thereby turning the attention away from a genuine debate about copyright issues,” the 44-year-old actor said in his letter.

Noting that amendments to the Copyright Act were long overdue, he said: “I feel I have a lot to contribute to the ongoing debate but I cannot make any meaningful contribution in this atmosphere.”

The actor’s decision came after he reportedly had heated exchanges with lyricist Javed Akhtar and others over the issue of royalties, in a meeting between producers and writers. Mr. Sibal said : “It is a matter of regret that the discussions went to media. Some people became unhappy. But we cannot do anything in this regard. Aamir Khan has written to me. I think he is correct from his point of view.”

Mr. Khan, speaking for the producers, said a song’s popularity depended on the star it was pictured on and not on the lyricist’s efforts, much to the annoyance of Mr. Akhtar, who said that the song Papa Kehte Hain became a hit even when Mr. Khan was a newcomer in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.

Besides Mr. Khan and Mr. Akhtar, the other members in the committee are Boney Kapoor, Mukesh Bhatt, Vishal Bharadwaj, Vishal Dadlani, Prasoon Joshi, Anjum Rajabli, Madhu Manthena and Bhushan Kumar. The committee was formed after a delegation of the film fraternity met Mr. Sibal in Mumbai and voiced concern over the proposed amendment.

On December 24, 2009, the Union Cabinet approved certain amendments to the 1957 Copyright Act, entitling authors of musical, cinematographic and literary works to royalty in case their works were used for commercial purposes, a benefit denied so far. — PTI

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