The Delhi High Court has dismissed music composer Ilaiyaraaja’s appeal in a copyright dispute related to the song ‘En Iniya Pon Nilave’.
A Division Bench comprising Justices Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla heard the matter on May 21 and ruled that, under copyright law, a composer can claim rights only over the musical composition and not over the entire song.
The court observed that a “musical work”, as defined under the Copyright Act, does not include the song’s lyrics or the sound recording.
Based on this interpretation, the bench rejected the plea seeking broader rights over the full song.
