Kantara song copyright suit: Kerala court restrains Rishabh Shetty-starrer from playing 'Varaha Roopam'
A lower court in Kerala’s Kozhikode passed the order restraining makers of the Rishabh Shetty-starrer from playing the song ‘Varaha Roopam’ on all platforms. The order came in after a copyright suit was filed against the makers by Thaikkudam Bridge, alleging copyright infringement of its song 'Navarasam'.
FollowA local court in Kerala on Friday restrained the makers of Rishabh Shetty’s film ‘Kantara’ from playing the song 'Varaha Roopam' in the movie. As per the order passed by a court in the state’s Kozhikode district, the makers cannot play the song without seeking permission from Thaikkudam Bridge, a popular Kerala-based music band.
The decision comes after a copyright infringement suit was filed by Thaukkudam Bridge against the makers of the Kannada film ‘Kantara’. They alleged copyright infringement of the song 'Navarasam' by the film’s makers.
Thakkudam Bridge put up a post on its Instagram handle which said that the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kozhikode passed the order on a suit moved by the band against ‘Kantara’ makers for alleged copyright infringement of its song 'Navarasam'
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The music band’s post further said that the court injuncted the director, producer, music composer, and streaming platforms such as YouTube, Amazon, Wynk Music, Spotify, Jiosavan, and others from playing ‘Varaha Roopam’ without seeking the band’s permission.
Soon after ‘Kantara’ was released in the theatres on September 30, the film and its music composer B Ajaneeshh Loknath started facing copyright infringement allegations for one of its songs. According to Thaikkudam Bridge, Kantara’s song ‘Varaha Roopan’ is allegedly a rip off of the band’s song ‘Navarasam’ which was released five years ago. The band had also taken to social media clearing that they were in no way related to the film ‘Kantara’ and that they would seek legal action.
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"The unavoidable similarities between our IP "Navarasam" and "Varaha Roopam" in terms of audio is therefore a blatant infringement of copyright laws. From our standpoint the line between "Inspired" and "Plagiarized" is distinct and indisputable and therefore we will be seeking legal action against the creative team responsible for this," read Thaikkudam Bridge’s post.
Meanwhile, helmed and written by Rishabh Shetty, 'Kantara' crossed Rs 200 crore at the domestic box office. The film which also stars Shetty in the lead role was re-released in Hindi, after mapping its success in Kannada. Several actors including the likes of Rajinikanth, Dhanush, Dulquer Salmaan, and Kangana Ranaut have applauded the film and its makers.
