The Delhi High Court has granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favor of Saregama India Limited in a copyright infringement case against music composer Ilaiyaraaja. The court restrained Ilaiyaraaja from exploiting certain cinematograph films’ sound recordings and musical works claimed by Saregama. Saregama sought to prevent Ilaiyaraaja from granting unauthorized licenses to third parties and making ownership claims over copyrighted works.
The court noted that Saregama, previously known as “The Gramophone Company of India Limited,” had acquired copyright through assignment agreements with film producers between 1976 and 2001. Ilaiyaraaja was found to have uploaded works on platforms like Amazon Music, iTunes, and Jio Saavn, and made ownership claims over the content. Justice Gedela observed a strong case in favor of Saregama based on the assignment agreements and infringement evidence.
Referring to the Copyright Act, Saregama argued that film producers hold initial copyright unless specified otherwise with composers or lyricists. The court restrained Ilaiyaraaja and related parties from exploiting or issuing licenses for Saregama’s copyrighted works. The suit involves over 130 films in languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi. The defendant must respond to the interim application within four weeks, with compliance ordered within 10 days.
