Music Composer Ilaiyaraja Sends Legal Notice To Makers Of “Manjummel Boys” Movie Over Alleged Unauthorised Use Of Song From “Guna” Movie

Ilaiyaraja, who composed the song, claimed that being the first owner of his original musical works, he holds absolute rights, including moral rights over all of his original musical works. He thus said that any third party that intended to use his original musical work for commercial benefit was legally obliged to acquire necessary and appropriate permission/license from the author/owner of such musical work.

He added that though the makers of the Malayalam movie had given credit to him in the title cards, the same or any underlying gesture could not substitute for his permission/license/consent for using the musical work. He further said that the exploitation of the work for commercial gain without his permission/license and without payment of royalty or license fee was a violation of law.

Ilaiyaraja added that as the owner of the musical work, his rights were protected under the Copyrights Act 1957. He added that the makers of Manjummel Boys had used the song multiple times in their movie and continued to use the song for their promotional materials in various platforms and media. Thus, he alleged that the makers were trying to commercially enrich themselves and attract viewership and publicity through improper means.

He thus called upon the producers of the movie to either obtain proper permission/consent/license for continuing to use the song or remove the musical work from the movie and the promotional activities. He also sought compensation for unauthorised use of the song within a period of 15 days.