The Delhi High Court declines Ilaiyaraaja’s request to lift an interim order in a copyright dispute involving songs from 134 films associated with Saregama. According to reports, the court upholds the existing stay, meaning Saregama continues to retain the current rights to the disputed songs while the case proceeds. In the matter, Ilaiyaraaja seeks to regain exclusive rights, but the court restrains him from broadcasting songs from the 134 films during the pendency of the litigation.
One outlet reports the court’s focus on the scope of Ilaiyaraaja’s rights under the Copyright Act, stating that the rights claimed are limited to musical compositions. Another report indicates the court reasons that broadcasting or exploiting the disputed sound recordings would amount to copyright infringement. The dispute is closely watched as it is expected to influence how Indian courts treat overlapping claims involving musical compositions and sound recordings in film music cases.
