In Brief
B.N. Firos, a software developer, challenged a government notification declaring certain computer systems as 'protected systems' under the Information Technology Act, claiming he owned the copyright in the FRIENDS application software. The Supreme Court held that the appellant's copyright claim was unfounded. Under Section 17(a) of the Copyright Act, Microsoft (which commissioned and paid for the software) owns the copyright, not the appellant. Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding explicitly vested all Intellectual Property Rights in the Government of Kerala. The Court held that Section 70 of the IT Act, when read with the Copyright Act, is not an excessive delegation but properly circumscribed. The appeal was dismissed, affirming the High Court's order.",
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