TRT acquires Cem Karaca songs

Cem Karaca's life story, directed by Yüksel Aksu,was brought to the big screen in "Cem Karaca's Tears" which was released on Friday.

İlkim Karaca, the final wife of Cem Karaca, who passed away in 2004 and whom he married in 2001, İlkim Karacaon the grounds that she holds the rights to the Cem Karaca songs used in the film and that it was produced without her consent, to the Istanbul Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Court filed an application.

The court issued an interim injunction to halt the film's screening, provided that İlkim Karaca deposits a security of 3.5 million Turkish Lira.

As İlkim Karaca has not yet deposited the security, the film continues to be screened.

'THIS IS PROOF THAT WE HAVE NOT COMMITTED ANY COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT'

Film producer Aytaç Ağdağstating that they used the songs in the film with the permission of All Stars Music, to whom İlkim Karaca sold them, and by paying the royalties, he said that if the film's screening is halted, they will appeal to the Court of Appeals. 

Producer Aytaç Ağdağ, in a statement regarding this matter to Mehmet Çalışkan of Habertürk, said: "TRT purchased Cem Karaca's songs from All Stars Music. In other words, they bought the songs from their rightful owner. We also used the songs in the film with the permission of the rightful owner and by paying the royalties. TRT's purchase of the songs from All Stars Music is proof that we did not commit any copyright infringement. Songs are used with the permission of, or purchased from, whoever holds the work registration certificate." he said.

'WE WANT THE FILM REMOVED FROM THEATERS'

Cem Karaca's wife İlkim Karaca, In a statement to 12punto, she stated, "If we can find it, we want to deposit the 3.5 million TL and have the film pulled from theaters" she said.

The full statement from İlkim Karaca is as follows:

"As you know, my beloved husband Cem Karaca passed away on February 8, 2004. Since that day, I have been subjected to financial, moral, and psychological violence by those who make the dear Turkish public believe in stories that do not exist in reality. Faced with this unfair, rude, and disrespectful attitude, I am seeking my rights for the first time.

Using the film currently on the agenda as an excuse, they are directly targeting me by saying 'Protect Cem Karaca.' In other words, they are openly inciting the public to hatred and hostility. Going even further, they are shamelessly making baseless accusations against me in front of millions. They are so blinded that they dare to do this. Yet, for 20 years, they have dictated everything they wanted. Despite gaining significant benefits, they have constantly engaged in agitation and played the victim, and they continue to do so.

They intend to cause severe harm to me and my precious husband Cem Karaca by creating misinformation. If my husband Cem Karaca were alive, these people would not even dare to speak in his presence." Cem would have immediately put these insolent people in their place and launched a major legal battle, just as he had done before.

As his wife, I want his true story to be told while the film about Cem Karaca is being made. It should not rely heavily on fiction. I want people to see that the real Cem Karaca was a masterpiece. I want them to know Cem as a whole, both as an artist and as a human being, and for him to be introduced to new generations in his entirety. I will exercise my legal rights to the fullest extent in response to the crimes committed against me and the baseless slanders leveled at me."

WHAT HAPPENED?

İlkim Karaca, the wife of Cem Karaca, had applied to the Istanbul Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Court to stop the screening of the film 'Cem Karaca'nın Gözyaşları,' which is based on the artist's life.

The court accepted the request and ordered the suspension of the film, which had been released in theaters on January 26, 2024.

Speaking after the injunction was issued, Emrah Karaca said, "We are going through an interesting process. We are truly saddened to be facing such a situation in our first week of release, especially after a magnificent premiere and a film that had so much effort put into it, receiving nearly full marks from everyone who attended the premiere and all the viewers who went to the cinema from the very first day."