Kolkata: The Vodafone Idea Ltd was directed by the Calcutta High Court on Friday to deposit Rs. 2.5 crore in the court registry over the issue of Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) Ltd’s copyright claim for the usage of songs by the telecom company for its value-added services.

Justice Soumen Sen, in an interim order, issued a directive to the Vodafone company and the IPRS to file affidavits with relation to their stands on the issue.

The IPRS came forward to move the high court claiming copyright for its songs and sought for restraining the telecom firm from those songs for its value-added services like called ring-back tones and mobile apps like Vodafone Play, Idea Movies & TV and Idea Music.

The court issued a directive to Vodafone Idea Ltd asking it to deposit Rs. 2.5 crore with the Registrar, which is the Original Side of the high court, within the period of three weeks.

“In the event such amount is deposited within the aforesaid time, the defendant would be allowed to continue with the services provided by it to its subscribers, until the disposal of the matter,” Justice Sen said.

Justice Sen said that “affidavit in opposition shall be filed by Vodafone Idea Ltd on or before November 19, and reply thereto, if any, shall be filed by November 29 by the IPRS”.

The issue would be taken up for further hearing in the monthly combined list of December, 2018, the judge said.

The IPRS came forward to move a plea in the high court by claiming to be representing more than 4,000 eminent authors, lyricist, publishers and music composers.

The chairman of the IPRS is the Lyricist Javed Akhtar, and this organization is a registered copyright society, according to its law firm Victor Moses and Company said.

The grounds given by the IPRS for filing the plea in support of their claims were opposed by Vodafone’s Counsels.

Ever since the Jio of Reliance came into the market, there is a stiff competition to provide more and more services to retain customers by major telecom market players. Among these services are caller tunes and call back tunes etc,.

Some companies are also offering special apps with free data streaming over those platforms availing entertainment items through it. Jio, airtel and Vodafone and many companies offer such kind of services.

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