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Madras High Court Reserves Order on ‘Good Bad Ugly’ Song Rights Dispute

The dispute turns on who holds the right to reuse Ilaiyaraaja’s classic film songs without his consent.

Overview

  • The court heard arguments on November 6 and reserved its decision on a plea to lift the interim injunction, which remains in force.
  • The September 8 order restrains the makers of Good Bad Ugly from using three Ilaiyaraaja compositions from 1982, 1986 and 1996.
  • Ilaiyaraaja’s counsel says he retained authorship, granted only limited licences, and alleges his songs were altered in a way that violates his moral rights.
  • Mythri Movie Makers argue they lawfully licensed the tracks from music labels for ₹10–40 lakh per song and contend the composer delayed seeking interim relief.
  • Counsel for the labels say the rights flowed from original production houses such as AVM in the 1990s and maintain any challenge should target those producers.