Kannada actor-producer Rakshit Shetty has been directed to pay a total fine of Rs 25 lakh by the Delhi High Court for the unauthorised use of copyrighted songs in his 2024 film Bachelor Party.
In an order passed on March 28, Justice Tejas Karia directed Rakshit Shetty and Paramvah Studios to pay Rs 5 lakh to MRT Music for using its copyrighted songs without authorisation. This amount is in addition to a Rs 20 lakh penalty imposed earlier on August 12, 2024, which had already been deposited. The additional Rs 5 lakh was levied due to delayed compliance.
The case was filed by MRT Music, which alleged that two songs used in Bachelor Party were part of its catalogue and had been included in the film without permission.
The court found the production house guilty of unauthorised use of the songs ‘Omme Ninnanu’ (31 seconds) and ‘Nyaya Ellide’ (7 seconds).
Bachelor Party, a Kannada-language comedy-drama produced by Paramvah Studios, revolves around a group of friends reuniting for a bachelor party and features portions of these songs within its narrative.
During the proceedings, the production house argued that the usage was minimal and did not require licensing. However, the court rejected this defence, observing that under the Copyright Act, even brief use of copyrighted material without permission constitutes infringement.
The court also noted that the defendants continued to use the songs despite legal objections, which contributed to the imposition of additional costs.
Paramvah Studios has faced similar issues in the past. In 2020, a non-bailable warrant was issued against the production house over the unauthorised use of the song ‘Shanti Kranti’ in Kirik Party (2016).