Ilaiyaraaja copyright case: Supreme Court steps in amid dispute between Sony and IMMA

Ilaiyaraaja copyright case: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Ilaiyaraaja Music N Management Pvt Ltd (IMMA) to respond to Sony Entertainment’s plea seeking to transfer a fresh copyright dispute to the Bombay High Court.

The case filed by the legendary composer’s firm in the Madras High Court concerns the rights over a large collection of Ilaiyaraaja’s compositions.

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A bench led by Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran noted the arguments of senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi representing Sony Entertainment. Singhvi highlighted that IMMA has initiated a new lawsuit in Madras after the Supreme Court dismissed a similar case earlier.

On July 28, the Supreme Court had rejected Ilaiyaraaja’s plea to move a copyright dispute over more than 500 musical compositions from the Bombay High Court to Madras High Court. The matter which has drawn attention from the music and film industries reflects the ongoing debate over the rights of composers in India.

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Veteran Malayalam music composer M Jayachandran has come out in strong support of Ilaiyaraaja’s stand. Speaking to ‘The New Indian Express’, he said that the controversy surrounding the maestro’s legal actions is unnecessary. Jayachandran stressed that music directors often face challenges in protecting their intellectual property and during this, ensuring they are fairly compensated for their creative work.

He recalled the struggles faced by earlier composers like AT Ummer noting how difficult it was for them to claim royalties or maintain control over their music. Jayachandran emphasized that the intellectual property rights of a song’s composition rightfully belong to the composer even if a production house holds temporary usage rights.

“Even if a production house owns the rights to a song for a project, the composer’s rights remain intact,” Jayachandran said. He also suggested that singers performing songs on stage should share a portion of their earnings with the lyricist or composer.