Madras High Court quashes Ilaiyaraaja's criminal case against Echo Recording Company

The musician has already filed civil suits against the company for copyright violation.
Ilaiyaraja | EPS
Ilaiyaraja | EPS

The Madras High Court on Tuesday quashed a criminal case by music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, against Echo Recording Company for selling his hits without paying royalty.

The musician filed a complaint against the company in March 2010, after which he filed an FIR in April 2010 under Section 418 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code.

According to a report in The Hindu, Justice MV Muralidaran pointed out that the criminal case was unnecessary when there are already pending copyright cases by the musician.

Therefore, the judge ruled that the prosecutor cannot pursue both civil and criminal proceedings, and said Ilaiyaraaja could claim royalty through the civil suits.

Musician Ilaiyaraaja has similar cases against Agi Music Pvt Ltd, Unisys Info Solution Pvt Ltd, and Giri Trading Company. In 2014, the High Court banned the companies from selling records with the composer's hits which violated copyrights.

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