New Delhi, March 31 -- Music labels in India are stepping up their crackdown on the unlicensed use of songs they own, especially by brands and influencers on social media and in advertisements.

The Delhi High Court recently issued an interim order against One8 Commune, Virat Kohli's restaurant chain, barring it from playing songs copyrighted by Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) without a valid licence. Earlier, Sony Music issued a legal notice to the Marriott Group for copyright infringement. Brands such as Epigamia and some e-commerce players have also been sued for playing unlicensed music in their ads.

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Music and legal experts said in addition t...