Ilaiyaraaja moves Madras High Court to protect his personality rights

The Madras High Court connected Friday (November 21, 2025) entertained a John Doe suit (a lawsuit filed against chartless individuals/entities) filed by acclaimed instrumentalist R. Ilaiyaraaja to support his property rights. It granted an interim injunction restraining unauthorised usage of his name, photograph, and different attributes for commercialized summation by tv channels, YouTube channels, euphony companies, societal media influencers, and others connected platforms specified arsenic YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

Justice N. Senthilkumar granted the injunction aft proceeding the arguments precocious by elder counsel S. Prabakaran for the plaintiff, who claimed his sanction ‘Ilaiyaraaja’ with varied spellings, arsenic good arsenic his rubric ‘Isaignani’, meaning philharmonic genius, had virtually go unregistered trademarks and hence, nary 3rd enactment could usage them for commercialized summation without his explicit permission.

In his plaint, the instrumentalist said, helium was regarded arsenic a fable and originative genius crossed the globe. He had composed astir 8,500 songs and said, arguably, helium was the lone composer successful the satellite to person scored euphony for much than 1,450 diagnostic films successful 9 languages. He has written lyrics for 1,500 songs, sung astir 1,000 songs, and his inheritance people exceeds 1.5 lakh minutes.

“Over the years, the plaintiff has built a marque of himself and has generated extended and unparalleled goodwill and recognition... Due to his publication to the euphony industry, the plaintiff is 1 of the astir sought-after celebrities and arsenic a celebrity, helium has the close to bid and power implicit his name, his representation and his likeness and authorise the commercialized usage of his name, representation and likeness,” the plaint read.

Referring to galore YouTube channels and Instagram accounts, which commercially exploit his property rights by publishing his songs unauthorisedly, the composer said, the unauthorised usage of his persona should beryllium seen not conscionable arsenic a usurpation of his idiosyncratic rights but besides arsenic an affront to his contributions to Indian culture. Any benignant of misuse could dilute the taste and creator value of his legacy, the composer said.

The plaintiff contended his name, voice, unsocial benignant of philharmonic performance, his songs and different philharmonic works, his image/photograph, his titles specified arsenic Isaignani, euphony maestro, raaga devan, Raja, Raja Sir, and specified different aspects related to his property were protectable. “The plaintiff’s sanction Ilaiyaraaja oregon nickname Isaignani is instantly associated with the plaintiff and nary 1 else,” helium said.

Listing retired immoderate of the YouTube channels, Facebook pages and groups, and Instagram accounts that were unauthorisedly utilizing his name, image, and songs for commercialized gain, helium said: “In each instance, the plaintiff Dr. Ilaiyaraaja’s name, image, dependable and originative works service arsenic the superior commercialized plus exploited without authorisation, consent oregon compensation to him and frankincense warrants this honourable court’s intervention.”