By Akriti Anand,News18

Copyright news18

Ajith Kumar’s recently released film Good Bad Ugly has been removed from OTT platform Netflix. The development came following a court order related to the unauthorized use of legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja’s songs. Good Bad Ugly was released on April 10 and made its digital debut on Netflix on May 8.
Good Bad Ugly removed from OTT platform
Recently, the film was removed from the platform following a court order issued by Justice N Senthilkumar. Economic Times has mentioned according to the verdict has barred the makers from exhibiting or streaming the film with the disputed songs. These include popular Tamil hits like Ottha Ruba Tharen, En Jodi Manja Kuruvi, and Ilamai Idho Idho, classics originally composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The composer has reportedly demanded Rs 5 crore in compensation along with a formal written apology from the production team before escalating the matter legally.
What lawsuit says
Ilaiyaraaja has alleged that the filmmakers used his music without taking his permission or agreeing to any royalty terms. As a result, the court’s ruling forced Netflix to take down the film from its platform.
Ilaiyaraaja issued notices
Well, this is not the first time Ilaiyaraaja has taken legal action over the use of his music. Earlier, he had issued notices to the makers of Manjummel Boys, Coolie, and several other films. In April, he sent a legal notice to the makers of Rajinikanth’s upcoming film Coolie for using a segment of the song Vaa Vaa Pakkam Vaa in the teaser of the film. Then, the musician filed a copyright infringement complaint against the Malayalam film Manjummel Boys, which collected more than Rs 200 crore at the box office. Ilaiyaaraja claimed that the song Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan, which he composed for the film Guna, has been used in Manjummel Boys without his consent.
Illayaraaja claimed that he is the original composer of the song and stated that it is a well-settled position of law that the Copyright Act, 1957, protects and guarantees the rights of the author or musical composer/producer and does not permit the unauthorised, improper, and unintended usage of any of the original musical work.
He has demanded compensation within 15 days. He has made it clear that either permission should be sought or the song should be dropped. If the compensation is not paid within 15 days, legal action will be taken, the lawyer said in the notice.
About Good Bad Ugly film
Good Bad Ugly follows the journey of AK, a fearless gangster played by Ajith Kumar, who dreams of walking away from the bloodshed and building a new life with his family. But as he tries to escape his old ways, his past keeps catching up with him.
Good Bad Ugly is directed by Adhik Ravichandran and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, marking the banner’s debut in Tamil cinema. Headlined by Ajith Kumar, the film brings together a massive ensemble cast that includes Trisha Krishnan, Arjun Das, Sunil, Prabhu, Prasanna, Karthikeya Dev, Priya Prakash Varrier, Jackie Shroff, Shine Tom Chacko, Tinnu Anand, B. S. Avinash, and Raghu Ram.