Ilaiyaraaja accuses Sony Music of exploiting 300 songs without consent, demands royalties

Ilaiyaraaja accuses Sony Music of exploiting 300 songs without consent, demands royalties

Legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja has moved the Madras High Court against Sony Music Entertainment India and other record labels, alleging that they have been commercially exploiting his musical works without his consent. The acclaimed composer, whose vast catalogue spans hundreds of iconic Tamil film scores, claims that these companies have been monetising his songs across social and digital platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter without proper authorisation.

In his petition, Ilaiyaraaja accused the companies of using, adapting, and publishing his original compositions without securing legal rights or paying due royalties. His counsel, senior advocate S Prabakaran, argued that the music labels never had any agreement either with the composer or the film producers from whose projects these songs originated. He contended that such actions constitute a direct infringement under the Copyright Act, 1957, and that Ilaiyaraaja remains the rightful owner of the works in question.

Representing the music companies, senior advocate Vijay Narayan countered the claims, asserting that Sony Music and other entities had lawfully acquired the rights through contracts with existing record owners. He further pointed out that a similar case involving the composer was already pending before the Bombay High Court, suggesting that the issues raised were not new but part of an ongoing legal conflict over rights and royalties.

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Justice N Senthilkumar of the Madras High Court, in an order dated September 26, directed the music companies to submit detailed statements of their daily revenue generated through broadcasting or telecasting Ilaiyaraaja’s compositions. The court also instructed them not to seek any further adjournments and to file their submissions by October 22. Additionally, the hearing was scheduled to continue on November 19, where Ilaiyaraaja would also pursue action against the makers of the Tamil film Dude, which allegedly features one of his songs without permission.

Ilaiyaraaja’s legal team emphasized that despite repeated objections, the composer’s music continued to be used by filmmakers and labels for commercial gain. The petition also claims that over 300 of his songs have been used without his approval. Ilaiyaraaja maintains that he never assigned ownership of his compositions to producers, asserting that his work was created under “principal-to-principal” agreements, making him the primary rights holder.