Royalties or copyright fees for literary or artistic work.

Where the time taken by the author of a literary or artistic work in the making thereof is more than twelve months, the amount received or receivable by him during any previous year on account of any lump sum consideration for the assignment or grant of any of his interests in the copyright of that work or of royalties or copyright fees (whether receivable in lump sum or otherwise), in respect of that work, shall, if he so claims, be allocated for purposes of assessment in such manner and to such period as may be prescribed:

6[Provided that nothing contained in this section shall apply in relation to the previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2000.]

Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, the expression “author” includes a joint author, and the expression “lump sum”, in regard to royalties or copyright fees, includes an advance payment on account of such royalties or copyright fees which is not returnable.