Legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja has received a setback from the Delhi High Court in his ongoing legal battle with leading music label Saregama. The court has issued significant interim orders in the case, bringing clarity to the long-standing copyright dispute.
Ilaiyaraaja had been filing cases for some time, claiming that he holds the copyright to the songs he composed. But the Delhi High Court ruled that the audio rights to 134 films for which he composed music between 1976 and 2001 belong to Saregama. The court noted that the producers of those films had legally transferred their rights to the company, giving Saregama full ownership over the works.
The court further observed that since Ilaiyaraaja was paid remuneration by the producers for composing the music, the rights to those songs do not belong to him. Instead, the complete rights rest with the producers, and subsequently with the company that acquired them. It remains to be seen what step Ilaiyaraaja will take following this major legal setback.
