The long-running legal dispute surrounding the digital usage rights of composer Ilaiyaraaja’s songs came up for hearing at the Madras High Court recently, bringing renewed focus on music copyright in the age of online platforms.
The case traces its origins to 2010, when Chennai-based music company Music Master approached the court claiming ownership of audio rights to songs from more than 100 Tamil films, including Pandiyan, Guna and Thevar Magan. The company had contended that the songs were licensed to a music label run by Ilaiyaraaja’s wife, Jeeva, and alleged that platforms such as YouTube and various social media sites were exploiting the music without proper authorisation. Music Master sought a court directive to restrain such usage.
As reported by Nakkheeran, Ilaiyaraaja had earlier appeared before the court to clarify the nature of agreements signed in 1997. During his testimony, the composer stated that those contracts were limited strictly to audio releases and did not extend to digital dissemination. He reportedly told the court that platforms like “YouTube” and “other social media” were not even in existence at the time and therefore could not have been covered under the agreements. Ilaiyaraaja also maintained that he had not transferred ownership of his compositions, granting producers only the right to use the songs within specific films.
At the latest hearing, veteran filmmaker RK Selvamani deposed in support of the composer. Emphasising Ilaiyaraaja’s authorship and control over his work, 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.”
The testimony strengthened the argument that digital and online platforms must obtain explicit permission to use the composer’s music and that any unauthorised use amounts to copyright infringement. After hearing Selvamani’s statement, the court adjourned the matter to January 20 for further proceedings.
