The Rs 2 cr man

In an industry where plagiarism seems to be a way of working, I feel truly vindicated. I have been acknowledged as the original composer of the two 'Break free' songs of Krazzy 4 and not Mr Rajesh Roshan, and the dishonesty of the others concerned here has been noted in court. I have been paid damages to the tune of the sum I asked for, and the producers have promised to give me credit in future prints of the film.I heard the 'Break free' songs around March 18 and was horrified to find that they were taken from 'The Thump,' the jingle I had composed for Sony Ericsson. The jingle had taken over 100 hours of work to compose - all original work requires a lot of time and energy. And I wasn't going to let anyone else walk away with the credit. It was just not on! It was just so dishonest. First, I tried to check with the company how this had happened. But I was shunted around from receptionist to receptionist, almost as if I had nothing to do with it! They tried to stonewall me, thinking I'd either get scared or run out of steam. The Roshans didn't get back to me either. The Roshans 'supposedly' had an NOC for using the jingle, so why wasn't this NOC produced in court? Obviously it was a verbal agreement, done without my knowledge. So I went to court alone. And I'm a proud citizen today. Tomorrow if anyone tells me that there's no point in fighting against plagiarism, I can quote my case. The High Court has given a very quick decision. It's a decision which sets a precedent for the music industry and is bound to make plagiarists sit up and think twice. And I'm not shy about the amount of money. We deliberately kept the figure for damages huge, because this is a first. There will be a second and a third case too. The idea is to make people think ten times before plagiarising other people's work so nonchalantly. Copyright has to be understood and respected. If we can't protect what's ours, there's no point in creating anything. Everyone in the creative field should get their hands on the 1957 Indian Copyright Act. It makes it very clear that no one has the carpet licence to use your work, or let others use it to their own credit, by paying you a one-time fee. I am not an employee of any company. I was hired as an external collaborator. So there was no question of my work being anyone else's to give away at will.There has been a huge reaction to the case. Now some people will be proud of me, some will be wary. The money is a deterrent, what I have gained is my right. It was about time that someone got up to protest. I've given permission for the film to release on time because my aim was not to affect business, but to fight for honesty - which I've fought for, and won. (As told to Piali Banerjee) Who's Ram Sampath? Ram Sampath started out playing keys in a rock band, and was into professional composing by age 17. Over 13 years, he has composed music for over 4,000 ads, 20 TV shows, 4 pop albums like Shaan's Lovology and Tanha Dil, and 3 films. He has done the background score of Ram Madhvani's Let's Talk. He is working on two more films now. He has also collaborated with the international band INXS and with Justin Timberlake. The story so far • ’The Thump’ is a jingle composed by Ram Sampath for Sony Ericsson in March 2007 and aired in April 2007. Hrithik Roshan endorses Sony Ericsson. • Sampath filed a complaint against the Roshans using the tune of The Thump in two 'Break free' songs and in the background score in Krazzy 4 without giving him credit. • On April 10, the High Court gave a judgment ordering the Roshans to pay damages claimed, of Rs 2 crore, to Sampat and to give him credit in all future prints of the film. • Krazzy 4 releases today, as per schedule.