Legendary music director Ilayaraja warned stage performers, FM, and television channels of legal action if they continued to play his songs without his consent. Following that, he registered a case at the Madras High Court, seeking a ban on the use of his compositions in the mentioned arenas without his permission.

Stating that musicians earned some sort of revenue after performing his songs on stage or on television shows, Ilayaraja asserted copyright over his songs, adding that the money he would get by selling the rights would be shared with the producer of the film, singers, and lyricists. “Only I hold the right to all my songs. The agreements that I signed back in the day were valid only for five years. Since they were not renewed and no royalties have been paid, all agreements stand void,” the maestro stated.

The Madras High Court, after examining the issue, had given an injunction against Agi Music, Echo Recording, Unisys and Giri Trading from monetizing Ilayaraja’s musical works. An interim prohibition was also ordered against the use of his songs in public concerts. The High Court, in its final hearing today, ordered a permanent ban on the use of Ilayaraja’s songs without obtaining copyrights from the music director.