In a significant ruling on a rights dispute over film songs, the Madras High Court has made a noteworthy observation regarding the role of lyrics in music creation. The dispute arose between a private recording company named ‘Echo’ and the renowned music composer Ilaiyaraaja.
A division bench comprising Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq heard an appeal filed by Echo challenging a single judge’s order, which recognized Ilaiyaraaja’s special rights over the 4,500 songs he composed.
Senior counsel Vijay Narayan, representing Echo, cited section 17 of the Copyrights Act and argued that when a producer engages a composer, the ownership of the work transfers to the producer. While acknowledging Ilaiyaraaja’s ownership of the music notes he composed, Narayan emphasized that the entirety of the sound, including the combination of music, lyrics, and performance, belongs to the producer who engaged Ilaiyaraaja.
The Madras High Court echoed this sentiment, stating that Ilaiyaraaja cannot claim himself as the sole creator of a song because, without lyrics, there is nothing in the songs.