Madras High Court says Ilaiyaraaja cannot claim sole ownership of songs as ‘there are no songs without lyrics’

A legal dispute between Ilaiyaraaja and a private recording company named Echo over the rights of his 4500 songs is ongoing in the Madras High Court.

Ilaiyaraaja in his official social media post

The Madras High Court has made a strong statement in the context of the dispute between Tamil music icon Ilaiyaraaja and a private recording company, Echo. The High Court bench comprising Justice Mahadevan and Justice Muhammad Sadiq observed that Ilaiyaraaja cannot claim sole ownership of songs as lyrics play a vital part in them.

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In the context of the appeal, the bench observed that there are no songs without lyrics. It further claimed that many other factors contribute to a song like the voice of the singer, and hence the composer cannot own the song completely. The bench was hearing a petition filed by the recording company Echo, which claimed the ownership of 4500 songs composed by the composer. The petition was filed contesting a previous single judge’s decision that asserted special sole ownership of the songs to Ilaiyaraaja.

Echo had bought the rights to the songs from the filmmakers of the songs. However, Ilaiaraaja’s side has claimed ownership of the 4500 songs which has led to a legal dispute.

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The company argued that the rights to the songs lie with the producer of the films as he/she employs the composer and compensates for the work. It further claimed that the composer, in this case Ilaiyaraaja, only has rights over the melody of the song. On the other hand, Ilaiyaraaja’s lawyer argued that the song belongs to anyone who comes up with the melody.

Hearing both sides, the court has so far observed that while the rights over the melody belong to the composer, the person can’t claim the whole rights. The court further noted that any financial transactions involving the songs would be the subject of the appeal.

The court claimed it will hear the petition in detail in the next hearing slated to take place on the second week of June.

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