T-Series and Guru Randhawa Sued for Copyright Infringement

Vikram Shapribhan Singh, known professionally as Vee, has filed a lawsuit against Guru Randhawa, T-Series, and Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. for copyright infringement.

Bombay High Court is scheduled to hear the case, which revolves around allegations that T-Series unlawfully used the complainant’s sound recordings, works, and performances without obtaining prior authorization or permission.

Rolling Stone India has contacted T Series, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., and Randhawa’s team for comment.

According to the complaint, the defendants have allegedly claimed ownership of these works, leading to significant and irreversible financial and reputational harm to Vee.

The conflict dates back to Vee’s collaboration with Guru Randhawa, which started in December 2016. Vee claims that the “Moon Rise” singer had promised him financial compensation, proper credits, and a 50 per cent share in publishing royalties for his contributions. However, none of these promises were formalized into an agreement, and Vee alleges he was not properly credited for multiple tracks, including the viral hit “High Rated Gabru.”

The situation became more serious when, according to Vee, an adaptation of the song “High Rated Gabru” was included in the 2018 film Nawabzaade. Despite his significant role in arranging and producing the song, Vee claims that he is only credited as a “music producer/arranger” on YouTube, with no recognition on other platforms.

The complaint also alleges that, based on the agreed understanding, Vee wrote and produced nearly 25 tracks for T-Series and other defendants. These tracks were used not only for the musical compositions but also in their arrangement, engineering, and production. Despite repeated assurances from the defendants, the copyright assignment agreements were never finalized, according to Vee, which has resulted in him not receiving payment when the tracks are played anywhere in the world.

This finally came to a head in December 2022 when Vee found out that he had been removed as “writer” in the PRS metadata, which had cut off his entitlement to publish royalties. Furthermore, any previous credits, albeit incorrect, were now completely removed from DSPs.

In response to these alleged violations, Vee has filed a lawsuit against the defendants for unjustly profiting from his work and intentionally withholding proper credit. The suit also mentions that several of the mentioned songs, including “High Rated Gabru,” “Lahore,” “Patola,” and “Surma Surma,” have been removed from YouTube. Additionally, another prominent female singer-songwriter in the Indian music industry has also filed a lawsuit against T-Series and Guru Randhawa for unauthorized use and copyright infringement of her work.

In a statement to Rolling Stone India, Vee said, “After years of exercising patience and restraint and trusting in the relationships I had, I have now been constrained to institute legal proceedings to enforce my rights. I put my faith in the legal system to protect my works and my rights.”