Delhi High Court Disposes Suit After Music Licensing Company Confirms No Claim Over Pre-1965 Songs

The Delhi High Court has closed a copyright dispute brought by Bignet Solutions LLP after Novex Communications told the court that it does not claim copyright over sound recordings released before 1965 and does not require anyone to take a licence for using them.

Bignet had moved the court seeking clarity before hosting a private event on October 12, 2025. The company planned to play a list of fifteen sound recordings, all stated in the plaint to be published before 1965. In its suit, Bignet said these songs had already entered the public domain under the Copyright Act and therefore no permission was legally needed.

The issue arose when the event venue asked Bignet to obtain a licence from Novex before the event could go ahead. According to the plaintiff, the company approached Novex and received a fee quote, after which it rechecked the copyright term and discovered that the particular songs had already crossed the protection period. Bignet also said its original email to Novex had included the playlist and argued that Novex should have clarified upfront that no licence was required.

Novex, however, told the court that the initial communication only mentioned the titles and did not specify release dates. It also pointed out that at least one of the listed songs exists in a recreated form for which Novex holds rights. Novex added that if the specific list of fifteen songs, as later set out in the plaint, had been clearly shared at the time of applying for a licence, it would not have quoted any fee. The company also said it did not want to continue litigating and confirmed that it has no claim over the specific fifteen recordings.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora noted that the event had already taken place without disruption and that the plaintiff had confirmed that only the listed songs were played. Recording Novex’s statement, the court found that the original dispute no longer survived.

In the order, the court observed, “In view of the aforesaid statement of the defendant categorically stating that it asserts no claims in pre-1965 sound recordings and the fact that the plaintiff’s event for 12.10.2025 has been held smoothly, this Court is of the opinion that the cause of action on which the suit was filed stands satisfied.”

The court also rejected Bignet’s request for damages, noting that there were no pleadings to support such a claim, and declined to refund the court fee, pointing out that the plaintiff chose not to use the pre-institution mediation mechanism before coming to court.

Justice Arora further clarified that the court has not expressed any opinion on allegations of misrepresentation or unjust enrichment raised in the plaint. With these observations, the suit and all pending applications were formally disposed of.

For Plaintiff: Mr. Jai Sai Deepak, Sr. Adv. with Mr. Surabh Balwani & Mr. Chirag Rathore, Advs.

For Defendants: Mr C.M. Lall, Sr. Adv. with Mr. Jasdeep Dhillon, Mr. Anirudh Jamwal, Mr. Aditya Bajaj, Ms. Annanya Mehan, Ms. Kenisha Salva, Advs.

Case Title: BIGNET SOLUTIONS LLP versus NOVEX COMMUNICATION PVT. LTD.

Bench: Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh

Date: 21 November 2025