Copyright Row: Mask Must Drop Song or Deposit Rs 30 Lakh, Orders Delhi HC
The Delhi High Court in Saregama Vs Black Madras Films has directed the makers of the Tamil film Mask to either remove the Kannada song “Naguva Nayana” from the film or deposit ₹30 lakh as interim licence fees before releasing the film on OTT, satellite TV, or any online platform.
The order was passed by Justice Tejas Karia after the Court found that Saregama India Ltd holds the copyright to the song, which originally featured in the film Pallavi Anu Pallavi.
Saregama approached the Court claiming that the song was used in Mask without permission. The company said it has owned the song’s rights since 1980, when the producer of Pallavi Anu Pallavi, Venus Pictures, assigned all rights—including sound recording, lyrics, and musical composition—to Saregama.
According to Saregama, it discovered on November 26 that the song had been used as background music in Mask. The company immediately issued a cease-and-desist notice. The filmmakers responded that they had taken a licence directly from composer Ilaiyaraja. However, Saregama argued that Ilaiyaraja did not hold copyright ownership and therefore could not license the song. They further pointed out that the lyrics were written by RN Jayagopal, making the composer’s licence even more invalid.
The Court agreed with Saregama, observing that the copyright belonged to the producer and had been legally assigned to Saregama. Therefore, the composer could not issue a separate licence.
At the same time, the Court noted that Mask had already been released theatrically worldwide. Since Saregama stated that it had no objection to the OTT release if licence fees were secured, the Court held that this approach balanced the interests of both parties.
The filmmakers must now either remove the song or deposit ₹30,00,000 before the film’s digital release. If they fail to comply, they are restrained from releasing the film on any OTT platform or satellite channel while using the song.
The matter will next be heard on March 23, 2026.
Appearances: Senior Advocates Chander M Lall and J. Sai Deepak with Advocates Ankur Sangal, Shashwat Rakshit, Amrit Sharma and Annanya Mehan.
