SC dismisses Ilaiyaraaja's plea to transfer copyright case to Madras HC

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 28) dismissed a plea of legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja seeking to transfer a copyright dispute involving over 500 of his musical compositions from the Bombay High Court to the Madras High Court.

A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria did not agree to the submissions of senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the musician, that the case be transferred to the Madras High Court.

At the outset, the counsel for Sony Music Entertainment told the bench that the case by the firm was filed in the Bombay High Court when no case was pending in the Madras High Court.

“The plea is dismissed,” the bench said.

Lawsuit in 2022

The legal case started from a lawsuit initiated by Sony Music Entertainment India in 2022 before the Bombay High Court. Sony has sought an injunction to restrain Ilaiyaraaja Music N Management Pvt Ltd (IMMPL) from using 536 musical works.

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The company claims it acquired the rights to these works through Oriental Records and Echo Recording, the entity with which Ilaiyaraaja has long been embroiled in litigation.

Parallel case

The IMMPL, however, alleged that 310 of the 536 disputed works are already under judicial scrutiny in a parallel case before the Madras High Court.

That case, originally filed by Ilaiyaraaja in 2014 against Echo Recording, challenges the latter’s claim over his compositions and seeks recognition of the composer’s moral and economic rights under the Copyright Act.

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The 2014 Madras suit led to a significant 2019 judgment, which upheld Ilaiyaraaja’s moral and special rights as a composer.

Ilaiyaraaja is one of India’s most prolific composers with over 7,500 songs across 1,500 films.

(With inputs from agencies)