SC Seeks Ilaiyaraaja Firm’s Reply In Sony Copyright Plea
“He is a music composer, and I purchased the rights to his music. Now, a fresh lawsuit has been filed in the Madras High Court”: Abhishek Singhvi (Sony Entertainment Advocate)
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from Ilaiyaraaja Music N Management Pvt. Ltd. (IMMA) on a plea filed by Sony Entertainment seeking to transfer a new copyright dispute, filed by the music composer’s firm in the Madras High Court, to the Bombay High Court.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran took note of submissions by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Sony Entertainment, that IMMA had instituted a fresh lawsuit in the Madras High Court even after the Supreme Court had earlier dismissed a similar transfer plea.
On July 28, a Bench headed by the CJI had rejected a plea by legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja seeking to transfer a copyright dispute involving over 500 musical compositions from the Bombay High Court to the Madras High Court.
Singhvi told the court, “He is a music composer, and I purchased the rights to his music. Now, a fresh lawsuit has been filed in the Madras High Court.”
The senior counsel argued that the ongoing dispute concerned rights Sony had legitimately acquired, and that Ilaiyaraaja’s firm was attempting to re-litigate issues already settled in the Bombay High Court. “My suit pertains to my purchase of his rights,” he said, stressing that the earlier transfer plea filed by IMMA had already been dismissed by the apex court.
“Issue notice… returnable in six weeks,” the CJI directed.
Singhvi, however, maintained that the cause of action was different in each case and that the new Madras suit involved different films from those in the Bombay proceedings. When he requested a stay on the Madras proceedings, citing their ex-parte nature, the CJI responded, “Make your prayer to the court; you are already represented there.”
Earlier, the Bench had declined to accept Ilaiyaraaja’s request to transfer the case to the Madras High Court. Counsel for Sony Music Entertainment had informed the court that the company’s case was filed in the Bombay High Court when no litigation was pending in Madras.
The dispute traces back to a 2022 lawsuit filed by Sony Music Entertainment India before the Bombay High Court, seeking an injunction to restrain Ilaiyaraaja Music N Management Pvt. Ltd. (IMMPL) from using 536 musical works. Sony claims it acquired the rights to these works from Oriental Records and Echo Recording, entities with which Ilaiyaraaja has long been engaged in legal battles.
Ilaiyaraaja, one of India’s most celebrated composers, has composed over 7,500 songs across 1,500 films in a career spanning several decades.
