The Calcutta High Court has ordered Vodafone-Idea to deposit Rs 2.5 crore in court registry over a lawsuit brought in by the Indian Performing Rights Society, which has claimed copyright on songs used by the telco for its VAS. The development was reported by the Economic Times. The society appeals that the company be stopped from using copyright songs as caller tunes, as well as on their apps like Idea TV, Vodafone Play, Idea Movies & TV, and so on. The court has directed Vodafone-Idea Ltd to deposit the money within 3 weeks, so it can continue to use the songs for its services until a final judgement is passed on the matter. Additionally, the court has ordered both Vodafone-Idea and IPRS to file affidavits in the case by November; the case will be heard in December. IPRS is an association of composers, authors and publishers of musical work. According to their website, IPRS issues licenses to users of music and collects royalties from them on behalf of its members from the music industry. The society is chaired by lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar. Vodafone-Idea is the merged entity of erstwhile telecom companies Vodafone, and Idea Cellular Services. With 37% of total mobile connections in the country, the new entity replaced Bharti Airtel as the country's largest telecom company.
