Lyrics and Compositions: Separate Copyrights in Nepal
In Nepal a song's lyrics and its music are separate copyright works with separate owners. How each is protected, registered, licensed and paid.
A song is never one thing. The words and the music are two distinct copyright works under Nepal's Copyright Act, 2059 (2002) — which means a lyricist and a composer can own different pieces of the same three-minute track.
That split decides who must consent to an advertisement licence, how royalties divide, and what happens when a producer claims the whole song. If you write, compose or produce music in Nepal, the division below is the one to get right on paper.
In short
Lyrics copyright in Nepal treats the words and the composition as separate protected works: each arises automatically on creation, each can carry its own owner, and each is registered separately at the Copyright Registrar's Office. Producers, labels and advertisers need both owners' consent, so the ownership split must be papered in writing before the track ships.
Lyrics and music: two copyright works, not one
The Copyright Act, 2059 (2002) protects works automatically from the moment of creation — no filing required. A song therefore arrives as at least two protected works: the lyrics as a literary work, and the musical composition as a work of its own. Each has its own author, its own creation date and its own term — the general rule is the author's life plus 50 years.
A recorded film or album track adds further layers — the sound recording and, for film songs, the cinematographic work — typically owned by the producer. One playback song can therefore carry three or four rights owners, which is why the paperwork matters more than the melody.
Who owns what in Nepal: authors, producers and assignments
The default is creator-first: the lyricist owns the lyrics, the composer owns the music. Producers and labels acquire those rights by written assignment — and where nobody signed anything, the authors keep their rights no matter who paid for the studio. Unassigned works are the most common defect in Nepali music deals.
Voluntary registration at the Copyright Registrar's Office (NCRO) converts that private arrangement into a dated public record. It does not create the rights and cannot fix a broken chain — so the assignment comes first, the registration second.
The lyrics copyright map: who owns each layer
| Layer | Who typically owns it | What to paper |
|---|---|---|
| Lyrics (literary work) | The lyricist; life + 50 years | Written assignment if transferred; NCRO registration |
| Composition (musical work) | The composer; life + 50 years | Written assignment; split sheet naming shares |
| Sound recording / film | The producer or label | Producer agreements referencing both underlying works |
| Cover version | New recording — but the underlying rights remain | Licence from the lyrics and composition owners |
Why the split matters commercially
Licensing a song into an advertisement, a film or a streaming platform needs the consent of each owner of each layer. An advertiser who clears the music but not the lyrics has not cleared the song — and the royalty split between lyricist, composer and producer is only as clean as the documents behind it.
Moral rights run alongside: attribution for the lyricist and composer survives assignments, so credits in use and credits in contracts are both obligations, not favours.
Protecting a song, step by step
The sequence is short, and every step is paperwork done early:
Paper the split at creation
One agreement among lyricist, composer and producer recording who owns what, and what transfers. A split sheet signed at the session is worth more than a dispute two years later.
Register each work separately
The NCRO process accepts the work, applicant and author details and a deposit — the lyrics as a literary work even before a composition exists, and the finished track once fixed.
License in writing, per layer
Ad, film and platform deals should identify which works they cover and how royalties divide.
Watch the usage
Unauthorised uploads and platform takedowns are the everyday enforcement reality for Nepali music.
The label and royalty layer
When a label pays an advance and recoups from royalties, the contract sits on top of the ownership documents — it does not replace them. Deals where money crosses borders should be structured so the payment route matches the ownership chain, the same discipline that governs IP royalty repatriation generally.
The practical rule for Kathmandu's studios: one song, one folder — the split sheet, the assignments, the registrations and every licence in it.
Want this handled for your brand?
IP Watch monitors new trademark publications in Nepal and alerts you to potentially conflicting marks — with the context needed to review them.
This article is general information, not legal advice.