About World Book and Copyright Day
World Book and Copyright Day is UNESCO's day for books, reading, publishing and the rights of authors, held on 23 April. In 2027 it falls on Friday, 23 April 2027. UNESCO named the date in 1995 because Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare both died around 23 April 1616, and because Catalonia already exchanged books and roses that day. New Delhi was UNESCO's World Book Capital in 2003.
The day has two halves and most people only mark one. The books half gets the reading lists and the bookshop displays. The copyright half, which decides whether writers get paid and what a teacher may legally photocopy, gets ignored.
Why is World Book and Copyright Day on 23 April?
UNESCO's General Conference, meeting in Paris for its 28th session, adopted resolution 3.18 on 15 November 1995 and named 23 April as World Book and Copyright Day. Twelve countries proposed it, Spain among them.
Two reasons sit behind the date. The first is a literary coincidence: Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and the Peruvian writer Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died in 1616 around 23 April. The coincidence is neater in print than in fact. Spain had already moved to the Gregorian calendar while England still used the Julian one, so the two dates were about ten days apart, and Cervantes died on 22 April and was buried on the 23rd.
The second reason is older and more charming. In Catalonia, 23 April is Sant Jordi, the feast of Saint George, when people give each other a rose and a book. Barcelona's streets fill with book stalls, and the custom is what turned the date into a day about reading rather than mourning.
UNESCO also names a World Book Capital each year, a city that commits to a twelve-month programme of reading events. New Delhi held the title in 2003, the third city to hold it after Madrid and Alexandria, and used it for book kiosks, libraries and a national convention on making India a book-reading society.
What does the copyright half of the day mean in India?
Copyright in India runs on the Copyright Act, 1957. Two things about it surprise most people.
First, copyright is automatic. The moment you write a story, take a photograph, record a song or draw something, you own the copyright in it. Registration with the Copyright Office is useful as evidence in a dispute, but it is not what creates the right.
Second, it lasts a long time after the author is gone.
| Type of work | How long copyright lasts in India |
|---|---|
| Literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works | 60 years, counted from the beginning of the year after the author dies |
| Joint authorship | 60 years from the year after the last surviving author dies |
| Films, sound recordings, photographs | 60 years from the year after publication |
| Anonymous, pseudonymous and posthumous works | 60 years from the year after publication |
| Government works | 60 years from the year after publication |
That is why a fresh set of books, songs and films enters the public domain in India every 1 January. Works by an author who died in 1965 became free to reprint on 1 January 2026.
Section 52 of the Act lists what you can do without permission, a set of exceptions known as fair dealing. It covers private and personal use including research, criticism or review, reporting of current events, and reproduction by a teacher or pupil in the course of instruction. The Delhi High Court applied that last one in the Delhi University photocopying case, holding that course packs compiled for students enrolled in a course fall within the teaching exception.
How is World Book Day marked in India?
Schools and colleges run book fairs, reading hours, book-character dress-up days and library membership drives on 23 April. Public libraries waive fines for the day in some cities. Publishers and bookshops discount stock, and reading groups post recommendation lists.
The bigger Indian book events sit elsewhere in the calendar. The National Book Trust, set up by the government in 1957 to publish good books cheaply in Indian languages, runs the New Delhi World Book Fair, first held in 1972 and now an annual fixture at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The Sahitya Akademi, India's national academy of letters, gives its awards for writing and for translation in 24 languages.
Useful things to do on the day:
- Join a local public library. Most municipal libraries in India charge a very small annual fee and are badly under-used.
- Give a book in the reader's own language rather than defaulting to English.
- Clear your shelf and pass on what you will not read again to a school or a street library.
What should you write on World Book and Copyright Day?
Recommend something. A message with one title in it is worth more than a paragraph about the joy of reading.
Happy World Book Day. Finished a book last week I kept wanting to text you about. Sending it across; tell me when you reach the last chapter.
On World Book and Copyright Day, thank you for knowing exactly which book to put in a child's hands. That is a skill no catalogue replaces.
Happy World Book and Copyright Day. Here is to the draft you are still fighting with, and to getting paid properly for the last one.
Happy Book Day. Pick any book you like today, even the one you have read four times. Reading it again counts.
On World Book Day, thank you for reading aloud in class. A whole section of us went looking for those books later.
Happy World Book and Copyright Day. You gave us a book we could never have read otherwise, and your name deserves to be on the cover.
On World Book Day, thank you for keeping a real bookshop alive in this city. We notice, and we will keep coming in.
Do
- Write the date and a line inside the cover if you are gifting a book.
- Name the translator when you recommend a translated book.
- Support the author by buying at least one book rather than only sharing a PDF.
Avoid
- Don't forward pirated PDFs on the day about copyright.
- Don't judge someone's reading; comics, audiobooks and re-reads all count.
- Avoid gifting a book you have not read to someone whose taste you do not know.
For translated writing, see International Translation Day on 30 September. For reading as a skill rather than a hobby, see International Literacy Day, and for books in Indian languages, International Mother Language Day.
How to wish someone on World Book and Copyright Day
The strongest message on 23 April is a recommendation, not a greeting. Name a book you finished and say in one line why the person you are writing to should read it. For a writer, translator, teacher, librarian or bookseller, thank them for a specific title. If you are gifting a book, write inside the cover with the date.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is World Book and Copyright Day in 2026 and 2027?
World Book and Copyright Day is on 23 Apr every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is World Book and Copyright Day in 2027?
World Book and Copyright Day 2027 falls on Friday, 23 April 2027.
Why do Cervantes and Shakespeare share 23 April?
Both writers died in 1616 close to that date, but not on the same day. Spain had adopted the Gregorian calendar and England was still on the Julian one, so the recorded dates are about ten days apart, and Cervantes actually died on 22 April and was buried on 23 April.
What is the difference between World Book Day and World Book and Copyright Day?
World Book and Copyright Day, on 23 April, is the UNESCO observance marked in most of the world, including India. The United Kingdom and Ireland hold their own World Book Day for schoolchildren on a different date in the spring, which is why two dates circulate online.
How long does copyright last in India?
For literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, copyright in India lasts 60 years counted from the beginning of the year after the author's death. For films, sound recordings, photographs, anonymous works and government works, the 60 years run from the year after publication.
Can a teacher legally photocopy a chapter in India?
Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957 allows reproduction by a teacher or a pupil in the course of instruction, and the Delhi High Court applied this to course packs made for students enrolled in a course. Copying for sale or for general circulation outside the class is not covered.
Which Indian city has been a UNESCO World Book Capital?
New Delhi, in 2003. It was the third city to hold the title after Madrid in 2001 and Alexandria in 2002, and it used the year for book kiosks, new libraries and a national convention on reading.
What is a good gift for World Book Day?
A book in the reader's own language, with a dated line written inside the cover, is the gift people keep. A library membership, a bookshop voucher or a subscription to a children's magazine works well for readers whose taste you do not know.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .