Vodafone Idea Cannot Use Songs as Caller Tunes without IPRS License: Court

Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL), the third-largest telecom operator in India, will not be able to uses songs as caller tunes without an IPRS license. While the telecom operator has agreements with the sound recording companies, without an IPRS license it cannot use songs as caller tunes or ringtones, ruled Kolkata High Court.

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As per a Bar and Bench report, a division bench of justices Debangsu Basak, and Mohammad Shabbar Rashidi said that Vodafone Idea needs to obtain permission from the Indian Performing Right Society Limited to use literary and musical works embedded in sound recordings. The music recording companies and distributors don’t have the authority to grant the license for the music to be used for commercial purposes.

Vodafone Idea currently offers value added services (VAS) plans to users for choosing films and non-film songs for ringtons/caller tunes. This service can’t work without an IPRS license, the court ruled.

Vodafone Idea Shares Surge on Monday

In another development, Vodafone Idea shares have soared in price on Monday. The shares went up by more than 8% from the previous closing price on May 11, 2026. This is likely due to multiple positive developments for the telco’s business in the country. It was also discovered that Vodafone Idea used more than Rs 10,000 crore to invest into mobile networks in FY26 from the raised Rs 20,000 crore via FPO (follow-on public offer).