Chennai: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Cricket Limited has assured the Madras High Court that it will obtain licences from authorised music licensing agencies before using songs or dialogues from Rajinikanth films Jailer, Jailer 2, and Coolie in its promotional material.
The undertaking was submitted through an affidavit by CSKCL Managing Director K.S. Viswanathan before Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy on March 16. The affidavit stated that the IPL franchise would not “display, show, upload, exhibit, play or use” the sound recordings or musical works from the films in promotions until it acquires the necessary legal rights.
The development follows a copyright infringement suit filed by Sun TV Network Limited in the Madras High Court against CSK Limited. The broadcaster alleged that the IPL franchise had used audio tracks, background music, and dialogues from the Rajinikanth-starrers in a promotional video released on social media to unveil its new jersey for the 2026 IPL season.
Appearing for Sun TV, senior counsel J. Ravindran told the court that CSK had stopped using the copyrighted material after the company sent an objection email on March 1, 2026. He urged the court to ensure that such unauthorised use would not occur again.
CSK’s counsel P.S. Raman said the team had already removed the songs, dialogues and audio tracks from its promotional content and had made the videos inaccessible for further transmission across social media platforms. Viswanathan said the franchise had been using music and dialogues from the films for several years without objections until the notice was received.
In the affidavit, CSK also clarified that the undertaking applied only to the franchise and its authorised promotional agents, and not to third parties who might reproduce or reference previously shared social media posts beyond its control.
Sun TV, which produces films under its banner Sun Pictures, told the court that it holds full rights to exploit the music of the films through agreements with composer Anirudh Ravichander. The company argued that the unauthorised use of its copyrighted works for marketing merchandise—such as CSK jerseys priced at ₹2,399—amounted to commercial exploitation.
The broadcaster sought an injunction against further infringement, submission of accounts related to revenue generated from the promotion, and damages of ₹1 crore.
After recording CSK’s undertaking, Justice Ramamoorthy disposed of the interim injunction applications and asked Sun TV’s counsel to obtain instructions by April 6 on whether the main copyright suit should continue in light of the assurance given by the franchise.
