Delhi High Court Restrains Composer Ilaiyaraaja From Broadcasting Songs of 134 Films
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, restrained music composer Ilaiyaraaja from broadcasting or communicating songs from 134 films dating back to 1976. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela ruled in favour of music label Saregama India Ltd. in a copyright dispute, clarifying that the composer's rights over musical compositions do not extend to the sound recordings of the films.
The court held that while Mr. Ilaiyaraaja continues to enjoy copyright over the musical compositions he created, those rights do not extend to the sound recordings incorporated in the films. The copyright for those sound recordings instead vests with the producer, Saregama.
According to the ruling, Mr. Ilaiyaraaja's rights under Section 14(a) of the Copyright Act are limited to the "musical work" itself, which refers to the musical composition of the songs claimed to have been infringed, sans the lyrics.
The dispute arose after Saregama approached the court, stating that it had entered into assignment agreements with producers of several cinematograph films between 1976 and 2001. Through these agreements, the music label claimed ownership of the copyrights in the sound recordings, as well as the underlying musical and literary works of the songs in those films.
Saregama alleged that it recently discovered Mr. Ilaiyaraaja was infringing on its copyrighted works by uploading the songs to various digital platforms, including Amazon Music, iTunes, and JioSaavn. The company also alleged that the composer had made ownership claims over the disputed content.
Justice Gedela noted that because there was no denial of the broadcasting of the songs, Mr. Ilaiyaraaja prima facie appeared to be indulging in acts that amount to copyright infringement. The court concluded that any exploitation of the disputed sound recordings by the composer would constitute infringement.
The injunction covers an extensive list of 134 films. Among the prominent titles affected by the order are Annakkili (1976), 16 Vayathiniley (1977), Mullum Malarum (1978), Netrikkann (1981), and Raaja Paarvai (1981).
