Ilaiyaraaja Appears In Chennai High Court Over Long-Standing Dispute Over Music Rights (Images-Facebook/Ilaiyaraaja)
The copyright claims of the legendary musician Ilaiyaraaja have been making headlines from time to time. Today, the musician has appeared before the Chennai High Court premises in connection with a long-standing legal dispute over his music rights.
Originally filed in 2010, the petition filed by a company named Music Master seeks to ban the unauthorized release of numerous soundtracks composed by Ilaiyaraaja on YouTube.
According to the petition filed by Music Master, the company had entered into an agreement in 1997 with a music label registered under the name of Illayaraaja’s wife. As per the agreement, Music Master was granted the audio rights for 109 films of Illayaraja, including his iconic works such as Thevar Magan, Pandiyan, Bramma, and Gunna.
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The company further alleged that despite the agreement, disputes arose regarding the ownership and distribution of the soundtracks, particularly on digital platforms.
During the previous hearing, Ilaiyaraaja’s legal representatives argued that the original contract only covered audio release rights and did not specify anything about digital or online distribution. Moreover, they also claim that Music Master has no claim over Illayaraaja’s compositions beyond the agreed-upon terms. However, the national award-winning musician appeared before the court today to provide his personal testimony and additional evidence.
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The legendary musician Ilaiyaraaja also filed copyright claims against various filmmakers for the unauthorized use of his soundtracks in the films. In 2024, the Guna music composer filed a copyright strike against the makers of the Malayalam film Manjummel Boys. After months of clashes between both parties, the dispute was eventually settled for ₹60 lakhs as the result of intense negotiations.
In 2024, the music maestro also sent a legal notice to the makers of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie for the unauthorized use of Vaa Vaa Pakkam Vaa from the 1983 film Thanga Magan in their announcement video.
