Sibal moves Copyright Bill in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: After being disallowed by the Opposition last week, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today moved a bill in the Rajya Sabha to amend the Copyright Act. Last week, the Opposition parties including the BJP, AIADMK and TDP had prevented him from moving the bill alleging that there was a "conflict of interest".

The Opposition parties had said that the minister cannot move the bill since his lawyer son represented Super Cassette Industries, a music company. The bill seeks to amend the Copyright Act, 1957 to fine-tune it with relevant international treaties and to introduce a system of statutory licensing to protect the owners of literary or musical works.

"According to Rule 294 of Parliament`s Ethics Committee, a member having direct or indirect interest in a matter cannot move a bill... He has conflict of interest," Shivanand Tiwari (JD-U) had said. Amid uproar by the Opposition seeking Home Minister P Chidambaram`s resignation alleging he had helped a Delhi-based hotelier, Sibal moved the Bill for consideration.