The Madras High Court recently issued an interim order, requiring Sony Music Entertainment India Private Limited to provide a detailed statement of accounts by October 22. This statement must outline all revenue generated from the commercial use of legendary musician R. Ilaiyaraaja’s compositions.
Justice N. Senthilkumar’s directive stems from a new civil lawsuit filed by Ilaiyaraaja. In his suit, the composer accuses Sony Music, Echo Recording Company Private Limited, and Oriental Records (based in New Jersey) of unlawfully exploiting his musical works for commercial gain.
Senior counsel S. Prabakaran represented Ilaiyaraaja, while senior counsel Vijay Narayan appeared for Sony Music. In his sworn statement, Ilaiyaraaja emphasized his global recognition as ‘Isaignani’ (musical genius) and a maestro, highlighting his unparalleled influence in the music world.
He proudly stated, ‘I am an eminent Indian creator, a music composer, conductor, arranger, lyricist, and playback singer, whose diverse contributions have profoundly shaped Tamil, Indian, and global music. My career is marked by an extraordinary and unmatched body of work in global music history.’
Ilaiyaraaja asserted that he has always maintained an autonomous approach to composing film songs. ‘I singularly conceive, develop, and execute my compositions with full creative independence, without any external interference or predetermined instructions,’ he declared.
He further clarified that his collaborations with film producers have always been on a principal-to-principal basis, never as an employee or through a ‘work for hire’ agreement. He stressed that he has consistently claimed and exercised his full authorship and ownership rights over his original musical works.
Ilaiyaraaja contended that Echo Recording was initially licensed only to sell audio tapes (cassettes) and compact discs (CDs) of his songs. Therefore, he argued that Sony Music cannot legally exploit these compositions through other digital platforms by asserting rights supposedly transferred from Echo Recording.
The celebrated composer also raised doubts about the authenticity of the documents. These documents reportedly show Echo Recording signing an assignment agreement with Oriental Records on February 2, 2020, followed swiftly by Sony Music entering a catalogue acquisition agreement with Oriental on February 14, 2020.
Furthermore, Ilaiyaraaja accused Sony Music of distorting his compositions through remastering and then promoting these altered versions on its social media channels and other digital platforms. He argued that such modifications are impermissible, citing the inherent moral rights a composer holds over their original works.
Conversely, Mr. Narayan informed Justice Senthilkumar that two similar cases were already ongoing: one before a Division Bench of the Madras High Court and another before the Bombay High Court. He noted that the Bombay High Court case was in an advanced stage, with the next hearing scheduled for October 16.
Mr. Narayan pointed out that Ilaiyaraaja’s attempt to transfer Sony Music’s existing lawsuit from the Bombay High Court to the Madras High Court had been unsuccessful. Consequently, he suggested that the composer had now filed this new suit with an identical request previously made by the music label in the Bombay High Court.
Mr. Narayan requested additional time to submit a comprehensive counter-affidavit in response to Ilaiyaraaja’s new case. The judge granted this request and further instructed Sony Music to present the statement of accounts during the subsequent hearing, set for October 22.