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Madras High Court Orders Sony Music to Reveal Daily Revenue From Ilaiyaraaja Songs

The court seeks transparency to assess contested exploitation of the composer’s catalogue.

Overview

  • The order was issued in a new civil suit by Ilaiyaraaja against Sony Music, Echo Recording Company and Oriental Records alleging unauthorised commercial use of his works.
  • Justice N. Senthilkumar set the next hearing for October 22, 2025 and directed Sony to file day-to-day accounts of revenue from broadcasting and telecasting until that date.
  • Ilaiyaraaja asserts authorship and moral rights over his compositions and argues Echo’s licence covered only cassettes and CDs, not digital platforms.
  • Sony’s counsel cites a chain of assignments from Echo to Oriental to Sony and argues that only modifications that harm the author’s reputation can attract damages.
  • The judge said agreements between producers and the composer must be examined and noted parallel proceedings before a Madras Division Bench and the Bombay High Court, which is due to hear a related case on October 16.