Popular Bollywood songs would not be heard in the ongoing T-20 cricket league, with the Delhi High Court restraining BCCI and seven IPL teams from playing them without the permission of the members of a singers' association.
The Indian Singers Rights Association (ISRA), a body registered as the first copyright society, has moved the high court seeking an injunction against the IPL teams, excluding Delhi Daredevils, by asserting that playing of songs without the nod of members of the body amounts to infringement of "performer's rights".
The court asked event management firm - DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd - and its Manager of Operations to refrain from playing the songs till April 19, the next date of hearing, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would also response to the notice.
"Till the next date, defendants shall remain restrained from in any manner communicating to the public (via radio, TV, mobile phones or any other medium) ISRA's repertoire, during IPL matches, comprising of performances of all its members (live or recorded), without obtaining a Performer's Rights Clearance Certificate from ISRA, or doing any other act infringing the members performers' rights or doing any act violating the members Right to Receive Royalty," Justice Vipin Sanghi said.
The lawsuit filed by advocate Pravin Anand on behalf of ISRA, whose members include Lata Mangeshkar, Alka Yagnik, Asha Bhosle and Kailash Kher, alleged that till date, neither the IPL teams nor the event management firm has paid royalty for the previous years and not obtained permission from it for playing of songs of its members in this year's IPL matches.
The IPL teams which have to reply to ISRA's allegations are Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, King's XI Punjab, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions.
As per ISRA's plea, DNA Entertainment is the nodal agency and event partner for several IPL franchises and it plays the songs - both film and non-film - during the matches to make the experience of the audience more pleasant.
The association has alleged that neither DNA nor BCCI have paid royalty for playing its members' songs during the IPL seasons of 2014 and 2015 for which the amounts were Rs 19,37,000 and Rs 32,00,000, respectively.
Only Chennai Super Kings, which would not be participating in the ninth season of IPL, had obtained permission last year, ISRA said.
It had sent notices to other teams, of which Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad asked ISRA to get in touch with the event management firm, the plea said.
It said that Delhi Daredevils claimed that they were not informed about the royalty issue for previous years and hence would not be able to pay that. For this year, the team has agreed to pay royalty and obtain permission and thus, it has not been made a party to the suit, ISRA said.
The association in its plea has also sought damages of Rs 10 lakh from each of the 10 defendants coming to a total of Rs one crore.
