In another significant legal development pertaining to the rights of authors of the original work, the Delhi High Court, in the case of RDB and Co. HUF v. HarperCollins Publishers India Pvt. Ltd. on May 23, 2023, ruled that the screenplay of the Bengali film “Nayak” was entirely the creation of Satyajit Ray. Consequently, the court affirmed that the right to adapt the screenplay into a novel belongs to Satyajit Ray. Moreover, after his death, this entitlement would pass to his son, Sandip Ray, as well as the Society for the Preservation of Satyajit Ray Archives (SPSRA). This ruling clarifies and extends the scope of the author’s rights and their subsequent transmission to rightful successors, acknowledging the significance of Satyajit Ray’s creative contribution and ensuring the preservation of his artistic legacy.
