Kozhikode court orders team Kantara to NOT use Varaha Roopam without Thaikkudam Bridge's permission

The presiding judge of the Principal District and Sessions Court on Friday directed the makers of Kantara to not use the song Varaha Roopam without the permission of Thaikkudam Bridge. The Kerala-based band took to social media a short while ago, on October 28, to share the official verdict with their followers and thank them for their continued support in the infringement battle. The court’s injunction also bars all the relevant streaming platforms to play or feature the Kantara song without seeking consent from Thaikuddam Bridge.

“The Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kozhikode has injuncted the Producer, Director, Music Composer, Amazon, YouTube, Spotify, Wynk Music, Jiosavan and others from playing the song Varaha Roopam in the film Kantara without the permission of Thaikkudam Bridge. Suit for injunction has been filed on behalf of Thaikkudam Bridge by Music Attorney, Sathish Murthi, Advocate Supreme Court of India,” read the announcement made by the band. 

The court orders come on the back of the plagiarism allegations made by Thaikkudam Bridge against the makers of Kantara, citing that they notice unavoidable similarities between their composition Navarasam and the track Varaha Roopam from the Kannada film. The band made a formal announcement through their social media handle a few days ago that they are compelled to take legal action against the creative team responsible for the infringement of copyright laws. Thaikkuddam Bridge wrote:

“From our and our partners standpoint, we would like our listeners to know that Thaikkudam Bridge is in no way or form affiliated with "Kantara". 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. There has been no acknowledgement of our rights over the content and the song is propagated as an Original piece of work by the movie's creative team. We request the support of our listeners and encourage you to spread the word about the same. Also request our fellow artistes to share and raise your views protecting music copyright.”

Varaha Roopam is part of the Kantara soundtrack composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath, who had previously stated that while his composition is heavily inspired by Navarasam, it is not a blatant copy by any means. Thaikkuddam Bridge’s bassist and integral member Vian Fernandes quashed Ajaneesh’s claims of “inspiration” and stated in a recent interview that the two tracks are starkly similar to one another. Team Kantara is yet to react to the verdict or the allegations.