Chinese plagiarism hurts Rahman

Gone are the days when Indian musicians composed music albums drawing inspiration from other sources. It's time now for us to share the limelight. Not so long ago, lovers of international music would come up with the name of the original version as soon as they heard an Indian film song; and this is not confined to Tamil songs alone. Now it is the other way round.

With the advent of the internet and the likes of Rahman at the helm of Indian music, it has been ensured that their tunes reach far and wide. This deserves special mention as it has not only spread our music across the continents but has even created awareness about Indian music in general. On the flip side, it has also ended up as 'inspiration' for other music composers. This is true in China where popular Taiwanese singer Kelly Poon has recorded Rahman's 'Shakalaka Baby' in her latest album, in Mandarin. Yao Chien, the composer and producer of the album claims his company, Ursa Major, has sought permission from Universal music, which takes care of the copyrights for Rahman's works. Kelly Poon on the other hand had stated that if she were to take the legal route to obtain the rights for the tune, it would have been tough to release the album. She added: "As it is a popular Indian song, I am just adapting the song and introducing it in China." Kelly might have her intentions right; just that the law happens to take a different view. Kelly Poon was a Project Superstar Champion 2005, a reality competition for singers across China, which is similar to the Indian TV show, Super Singer. This number especially has catapulted her to the status of singing sensation among the Chinese. So much for what was not hers! As for Rahman, he wasn't available for any comments. Guess success comes with its share of problems.

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com