Aditya Chopra, Uday Chopra and their Yash Raj Films Pvt. Ltd. recently moved the Bombay high court to quash a criminal case of breach of trust, copyright infringement and failure to pay Rs. 100 crore in royalty to several music directors and lyricists since 2012. The Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) had lodged a complaint against YRF in November 2019. On 14th January this year, the high court asked the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Bombay police to not act on its notice to YRF for information and documents.
The FIR said, the production house can monitor and collect royalties for sound recordings and its own share for lyrics and musical compositions, but it cannot collect royalties on behalf of the authors (lyricists and music composers). It alleged that YRF had illegally diverted the royalties it had collected, for personal gain.
YRF argued before a bench of Justices B.P. Dharmadhikari and N.R. Borkar that it was an admitted position that YRF was the owner of copyright. It added that the IPRS had asked YRF to be its member and when that didn’t happen, the IPRS filed a criminal case, making allegations of infringement, with mala fide intention. YRF also added that it was collecting revenue due to it as copyright owner, and not on behalf of others. The IPRS submitted that lyricists and others, who held copyrights, were taken for a ride.
The Bombay high court fixed February 3 as the next date of hearing.