Even though Delhi University examinations are scheduled to begin on May 1, the students will not be able to photocopy relevant excerpts from their course books as the Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to vacate its earlier stay on a photocopier kiosk on the Delhi School of Economics campus.
A group of Delhi University students, through their lawyer Rajat Kumar, had urged Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw to vacate the stay arguing that they were finding it difficult to prepare for their coming examinations due to the ban on the photocopier to reproduce pages of books for desirous students.
Mr. Kumar argued that there was no violation of the Copyright Act as alleged by the publishers’ plaintiff in the matter as Section 52 (1) (ii) of the Act gave permission for photocopying course materials by students on instructions from their teachers.
While refusing to vacate the stay, the Court also said in a passing remark that the stay was only on the photocopier operating on the Delhi School of Economics campus.
The Court had last year passed the stay order on Rameshwari Potocopy Service on the Delhi School of Economic campus on a suit filed by three publishers -- the Oxford University Press, the Cambridge University Press and the Taylor and Francis -- arguing that photocopying by the students was the violation of their copyright on the books published by them.
The Court had then restrained Rameshwari Photocopy Service from “making or selling course packs and also reproducing the plaintiffs’ publications or substantial portions thereof by compiling the same either in a book form or in the form of a course pack till the final disposal of the said suit.”
The matter will now come up on May 8 for further hearing on the students’ plea for vacation of the stay.
