Delhi High Court Bars Ilaiyaraaja from Using Songs of 134 Films in Copyright Dispute with Saregama

New Delhi, Feb 17: Renowned music director Ilaiyaraaja has landed in legal trouble. In the ongoing dispute between him and the audio company Saregama, the Delhi High Court has issued interim orders. Until the final verdict is delivered, Ilaiyaraaja is barred from using songs from 134 films.

Between 1976 and 2001, producers permanently sold the rights of those films’ music to Saregama. Recently, Ilaiyaraaja granted permission to some music streaming platforms to use these songs, which prompted Saregama to approach the court. After reviewing the case, the court ruled that Ilaiyaraaja cannot use these songs without Saregama’s consent, since the company holds full rights after purchasing them from the producers.

This dispute first surfaced last year over a song in the film Agathya, and has since escalated.