Mumbai:
Expressing their displeasure over therecent High Court verdict on the royalty issue, severalleading music composers and lyricists voiced their woes.
Last week, the Bombay High Court said that IndianPerforming Right Society Limited (IPRS) that safeguards thecopyright of music composers and lyricists is not entitled toclaim or demand royalty or license fees from FM Radio channelsfor the songs and music they broadcast.
This means that the FM stations would now have to onlydeal with Phonographic Performances Limited for obtaining alicence to play the music.
"The radio fraternity has throughout been telling us thatthey would love paying composers and lyricists' royalty. Butnow it is revealed that the stand taken by them in the courtis exactly opposite. This is indeed like stabbing us," veteranlyricist Javed Akhtar told reporters.
"The verdict appears to be contradictory to theprovisions of the present Indian Copyright Act and is alsoincompatible and in gross violation of India's obligationsunder international treaties like the TRIPS and the BerneConvention. If India does not recognise the right of composersand songwriters it could well face an international backlashsince copyright is no more a local matter....it has become anInternational issue," Akhtar added.
Music composer Lalit Pandit said, "Both the radioindustry and music companies have let us down. We feel cheatedand will now formulate our stand on how to deal with both ofthem."
Ram Sampath, composer and singer of the hit song D KBose from Delhi Belly, also voiced his concern by drawingdifferences between the corporate and the film world.
"It is sad and worrying that while the corporate worldhas been recognising the IPR (intellectual property rights) ofthe composer or songwriter, the film world just doesn't seemto be bothered. And now this judgement would mean death forIndian music," Sampath said.
Director-singer-composer, Vishal Bharadwaj said there wasa need to bring an amendment to the Copyright Act.
"This only goes to show how vulnerable the community ofcomposers and lyricists are and it is high time that theParliament got the proposed amendments to the Copyright Actpassed. I think that is the only way to protect artists inthis country," Bharadwaj said.
"Except royalties, there is no source of income forcomposers or songwriters and that is why I had to turn into aproducer-director," he said.
Veteran music director Ravi Shankar Sharma, who sued themakers of Slumdog Millionaire for using his song DarshanDo in the movie, said, "The film Slumdog Millionaire used apiece of one of my old songs after which I took them to court.The producer paid Rs 20 lakhs for the usage. So there is noway in which one can consider that music and lyrics have nocopyrights."
Last week, the Bombay High Court said that IndianPerforming Right Society Limited (IPRS) that safeguards thecopyright of music composers and lyricists is not entitled toclaim or demand royalty or license fees from FM Radio channelsfor the songs and music they broadcast.
This means that the FM stations would now have to onlydeal with Phonographic Performances Limited for obtaining alicence to play the music.
"The radio fraternity has throughout been telling us thatthey would love paying composers and lyricists' royalty. Butnow it is revealed that the stand taken by them in the courtis exactly opposite. This is indeed like stabbing us," veteranlyricist Javed Akhtar told reporters.
"The verdict appears to be contradictory to theprovisions of the present Indian Copyright Act and is alsoincompatible and in gross violation of India's obligationsunder international treaties like the TRIPS and the BerneConvention. If India does not recognise the right of composersand songwriters it could well face an international backlashsince copyright is no more a local matter....it has become anInternational issue," Akhtar added.
Music composer Lalit Pandit said, "Both the radioindustry and music companies have let us down. We feel cheatedand will now formulate our stand on how to deal with both ofthem."
Ram Sampath, composer and singer of the hit song D KBose from Delhi Belly, also voiced his concern by drawingdifferences between the corporate and the film world.
"It is sad and worrying that while the corporate worldhas been recognising the IPR (intellectual property rights) ofthe composer or songwriter, the film world just doesn't seemto be bothered. And now this judgement would mean death forIndian music," Sampath said.
Director-singer-composer, Vishal Bharadwaj said there wasa need to bring an amendment to the Copyright Act.
"This only goes to show how vulnerable the community ofcomposers and lyricists are and it is high time that theParliament got the proposed amendments to the Copyright Actpassed. I think that is the only way to protect artists inthis country," Bharadwaj said.
"Except royalties, there is no source of income forcomposers or songwriters and that is why I had to turn into aproducer-director," he said.
Veteran music director Ravi Shankar Sharma, who sued themakers of Slumdog Millionaire for using his song DarshanDo in the movie, said, "The film Slumdog Millionaire used apiece of one of my old songs after which I took them to court.The producer paid Rs 20 lakhs for the usage. So there is noway in which one can consider that music and lyrics have nocopyrights."
