A legal battle over music rights resurfaced in Chennai today, as the long-standing case involving Ilaiyaraaja’s songs and their usage on digital platforms was taken up for hearing. The dispute originally dates back to 2010, when Music Master, a Chennai-based music company, filed a case in the Madras High Court claiming ownership over the audio rights of over 100 films, including ‘Pandiyan’, ‘Guna’, and ‘Thevar Magan’. The company had argued that the songs were licensed to a music label run by Ilaiyaraaja’s wife, Jeeva, and that platforms like YouTube and social media were using the songs without proper authorization. The petition requested that a court order prevent such unauthorized usage.
Ilaiyaraaja clarifies 1997 contracts
According to reports by Nakkheeran, Ilaiyaraaja had appeared in court earlier himself to testify regarding the contracts from 1997. In the court hearing, Ilaiyaraaja revealed that the contracts signed then only mentioned the rights to release the songs in audio formats. The contracts didn’t include anything related to digital release via platforms such as ‘YouTube’ or ‘other social media’ that weren’t in use at that time. He clarified that he had not transferred ownership for the songs and only gave rights to the production houses for specific films.
R.K. Selvamani testifies in support of composer
Today, veteran director R.K. Selvamani appeared in court to testify on behalf of Ilaiyaraaja in regard to copyright. Selvamani said, “Ilaiyaraaja has the exclusive rights to his songs. He has never signed over his songs to any film production. It is the producers who get the rights to use them in their films and nothing more.” This clearly supported the claim that online platforms require permission to use the songs and that any use of the songs without such permission is an infringement.
Court adjourns to January 20
After listening to Selvamani’s statement, the court postponed the case to the 20th of January for further hearing. The clarification made by Ilaiyaraaja, supported by Selvamani, is likely to protect the composer’s right over his music and legitimization of copyright laws in the digital age. Legal experts suggest that the judgment has far-reaching consequences for music copyright in Tamil movies as more songs and films are now being monetized on social media and streaming platforms.
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