SC Rejects Ilaiyaraaja’s Request in Sony Copyright Battle
On July 28, 2025, the Supreme Court of India delivered a blow to the legendary music composer, Ilaiyaraaja by dismissing his plea to transfer one of the high-stake copyright disputes involving over 500 of his iconic compositions from the Bombay High Court to the Madras High Court. The legal saga is draping the maestro and Sony Music Entertainment India which continues to evolve in this labyrinth of possible rights over his musical legacy.
Underlying this dispute is Sony’s suit initiated in the year 2022 against Ilaiyaraaja at the Bombay High Court, wherein it is stated that Ilaiyaraaja Music N Management Pvt Ltd (IMMPL) is restrained from using 536 musical works. Allegedly, such use is owned by Sony because of transactions entered with Oriental Records and Echo Recording, both of which are embroiled in earlier litigations filed by Ilaiyaraaja.
The camp of the composer claims 310 of these works already narrate a tale in a case at Madras High Court in 2014, where Ilaiyaraaja claimed moral and economic rights under Copyright Act. It is, however, said that the Bombay ruling will only make the 2019 Madras decision, which emphasized his moral rights, duplicate pokes to IMMPL.
The bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai with justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria was not inclined to accept senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan on behalf of Ilaiyaraaja. The counsel for Sony contended that the Bombay suit is well ahead of any Madras proceedings in time, thus making the application for transfer weak.
The court made a very quick dismissal which now has left Ilaiyaraaja’s lawyers to keep trying since the Bombay High Court would be the place dealing with this big-taken fight.
Over 7,500 songs in over 1,500 films make this giant titan, Ilaiyaraaja, stand at a critical juncture. Not only does the quarrel promise danger for portions of some of the impressive works which he created, but it would also lead to questions on artist rights in the music trade in India. Fans rally behind the maestro, while what is to come from the Bombay High Court may change the destiny of one of India’s greatest composers.
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