Srinagar: Renowned Kashmiri poet, playwright, and filmmaker Fayaz Dilbar has initiated legal action against the US-based NGO Funkar International, a platform that promotes Kashmir’s traditional art forms, including folk music; Spotify, a prominent Swedish audio streaming service based in London; JioSaavn, an Indian multilingual music streaming platform, and several individuals, including two singers, for allegedly stealing his work and using it for their own financial gain.
Funkar International, known for promoting Kashmir’s traditional art forms, including folk music, is accused of using Dilbar’s poem “Beyì Sôey Boonìya, suìy shuhla gôch” from his publication “Haarnìs Taapas Andar” in one of its music albums without obtaining his permission. Fayaz Dilbar had previously expressed his intent to sue the US-based NGO and others for violating the copyright of his creative work.
Advocate Mir Akhtar Hussain, a prominent Supreme Court lawyer, has served notices to eight respondents, including Funkar International and Spotify. The notice demands the removal of the unauthorized work from their platforms and an explanation for its unauthorized use. A part of the notice reads: “The ‘Haarnis Taapas Andar’ is a poetic collection and the original creative work, which is protected under copyright law. Thus, the use of any part of this poetic work without the express consent and permission of our client is unlawful. You, Noticees No. 1 to 8, have unauthorizedly used the following poem of our client, which has not only infringed upon the intellectual rights of our client but has also undermined the value of his poetic creative work.”
“It was humiliating to see that my poem, which is a part of my 2004 Ghazal collection ‘Haarnìs Taapas Andar,’ was used and monetized without my consent, and even without proper credit to the original writer. Therefore, I decided to take legal action,” Dilbar told Kashmir Images.
