After having accused the Roshans of lifting his tunes from Sony Ericsson's Thump jingle for the tracks of Krazzy4, Ram Sampath has been granted a 'huge' compensation by the court on Thursday. After the court's directive of interim relief of Rs 25,00,000, Sampath preferred to settle out of court for a reported Rs 20 million. The composer, a much relaxed man on Friday morning, clarified all the allegations against him and spoke about his fight for his intellectual rights in a chat with Radioandmusic.com's Anita Iyer.

Excerpts:

Do you get a share in royalties from digital rights sales as well?

I have assigned all my rights to the Roshans in front of the judge. I took the matter to court and the judge found my claims to be reasonable and agreed to pay for the damages. So, everything including the digital rights, are with the Roshans and I have no claim over them.

How easy is it to take on the big names in the industry in a case like this?

It is easy as long as you know that you are right and your work has been plagiarised. It is always right if you fight for your right and truth prevails.

After you dragged the Roshans to court, do you think it will be difficult for you to get more assignments in the film industry?

I have been in the industry for the past 14 years and people who know me would be willing to work with me regardless of these things. Knowing that I have fought for my rights, they respect me for it. As for people who don't know me, even I would not be open to working with them.

Do you think a verdict like this will help small and new composers to fight for their intellectual property?

I guess the verdict helps all the original creators - be it the composers or writers. It just shows that our judiciary and the Indian constitution is lending its help to the composers fighting for their rights. It is appreciated the way the judiciary took the decision in such a short time span. It would be a landmark case for all young composers to protect their rights.

The Roshans claimed that they had a NOC from Sony Ericsson for using the music. So, the rights were with you or with Sony Ericsson?

I guess it is very evident that the rights were with me. The claim that the Roshans had a NOC from Sony Ericsson before using the music was a lie. The court termed them as liars and none of their defences held any merit.

Plagiarism has been a norm in the industry with many composers lifting tunes from others' work. Do you think you were wrong in bringing such a contentious issue to the court?

May be I am wrong and may be I am not. But it had to be done as truth was on my side. We do have many great composers and writers who come up with many original works and it is necessary to protect their intellectual rights. There are people like Ashutosh Gowariker, Rakeysh Mehra and A R Rahman who acknowledge the merits of composers. The new generation is open to give the due merits of the creator and it should work that way. Without honesty, the music industry will not survive.

You have been accused of staging a publicity stunt and extracting your pound of flesh just before the release of the film. What do you have to say?

The judge threw all these allegations out of the window before the verdict. I came to know about the plagiarism on 18 March itself, and the notice was issued to the Roshans on 24 March. They just said they would get back to us but there was no response from their end. This shows that they were deliberately committing the mistake and are therefore responsible for the delay. I have issued the notices well in advance without waiting for the release of the film.

Rakesh Roshan is also reportedly saying that he is planning to sue Sony Ericsson for the damages?

I think I am out of it now. That is upto the Roshans to decide whether they wish to file a case against Sony Ericsson or not, I have no say in it.