Rakshit Shetty slapped with ₹25L fine for using unauthorized songs
What's the story
The Delhi High Court has ordered Kannada actor-director Rakshit Shetty's production house, Paramvah Studios, to pay ₹25L for using two songs without permission in his film Bachelor Party. The ruling was made by Justice Tejas Karia, who found the studio guilty of copyright violation and contempt of court orders. The filmmakers had argued that their use of the music was too minimal to require a license.
Legal proceedings
Court's ruling on minimal usage argument
The court rejected the defense's argument that the songs were used minimally. It stated, per Bar and Bench, "In any event, the use of the Original Works in the Impugned Film was not minimal as the song Omme Ninnanu was incorporated for substantial 31 seconds whereas Nyaya Ellide was used for 7 seconds." The court added that even a single frame from an audio-visual work is an exclusive right given to its copyright owner under the Copyright Act.
Ownership dispute
Claim of ownership by music label
MRT Music, a music label, claimed ownership of the two songs used in Bachelor Party. The company alleged that the songs were used without obtaining a license. One song was played on a television in a scene and the other was sung in a classroom sequence to support the narrative. The film was released theatrically in January 2024 and later made available on OTT platforms.
Earlier action
Court had asked filmmakers to submit ₹20L earlier
In August 2024 (August 12 to be exact), an interim court order directed Bachelor Party makers to deposit ₹20L and take down the infringing content. The makers didn't submit the fine during the stipulated time period. Although they did submit the amount later during the proceedings, the delay in compliance led to a contempt action. The bench held that the songs were not used incidentally, but were carefully chosen to drive the narrative; hence, they were used for commercial gain.
Penalty
No jail for Shetty, but financial penalty imposed
The court, however, did not send Shetty to jail. Instead, it asked him and Paramvah Studios to pay ₹5L to purge contempt of its orders. The total financial mandate consists of two separate directions: 1) The court directed the Registry to release the ₹20L previously deposited by Shetty and Paramvah Studios to MRT Music. 2) An additional ₹5L penalty was imposed because the filmmakers failed to meet the original 2024 deposit deadline.