dj Cheb i Sabbah Files lawsuit against Bollywood Distributors

Los Angeles, CA, December 18, 2003: dj Cheb i Sabbah is indeed asking "Kese Kese" or in other words, "how how..." The world music producer filed a copyright infringement action today in Federal Court in Los Angeles. Cheb i Sabbah's legendary classic hit song "Kese Kese" from his best selling album Shri Durga (1999) has been used in the upcoming Bollywood Indian movie soundtrack, Plan, without his consent. In addition to the music being used unlawfully, Cheb i Sabbah was not credited for the hit song. Among the defendants are Eros Entertainment and T-Series music. The film is intended to be released by White Feather Films, a joint venture production company of Sanjay Dutt, Sanjay Gupta and Bobby Anand, which also produced Kaante.

Entertainment Attorney Anthony Kornarens, a United States based attorney, has been retained by Cheb i Sabbah to handle the matter involving the copyright infringement. The lawsuit alleges Eros Entertainment, T-Series, and subsidiary distributors are in violation of United States Copyright Act of 1976 (17 U.S.C. §101, et seq.), which gives Cheb i Sabbah exclusive rights to control the use of his work. Cheb i Sabbah is seeking a court order stopping the distribution of the film and its soundtrack.

The defendants' infringement of Kese Kese has been widely distributed in India, U.S., U.K., and Canada. Plan is expected to be one of the top ten Bollywood Blockbusters of 2004 according to the IndiaTimes.com. In addition to the soundtrack, the film will be shown in theaters worldwide, followed by a DVD release. Despite the popularity of the original "Kese Kese," Cheb i Sabbah was never contacted by the film's producers or music directors for permission to use his work. Plan's soundtrack, produced by music director Anand Raj Anand, uses vocals from the popular Pakistani artist Adnan Sami along with Sunidhi Chauhan.

Cheb i Sabbah comments, "I am shocked and dismayed to see my work used without permission." Fortunately for artists who are taken advantage of, traditional copyright laws offer protection for our creative works from violations from large corporations. Shri Durga, a best seller at Six Degrees Records, featured some of the greatest singers and instrumentalists in the Northern Indian classical music tradition including the legendary Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, - a musical giant of an ancient tradition who recorded specifically for Cheb i Sabbah's project. Even before Shri Durga was officially released, word got out to DJs around the world, which lead to danceable "Kese Kese" remixes produced by the hottest remixers from London for Cheb i Sabbah's following album "MahaMaya." The trilogy of albums was completed with the success of "Krishna Lila," hailed as "one of the year's best albums" by BBC Music in 2002. Together, the mythical albums have designated Cheb i Sabbah as a hallmark of post-modern musical spirituality and brought him international cult status in the world music genre throughout the world. His latest album, "As Far As - A DJ Mix," has reached the Billboard top ten of World Music Albums.

** BACKGROUND NOTES **
*	Cheb i Sabbah has collaborated with a diverse range of musicians including Pakistani Qawwali singer Don Cherry, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and London-based Bhangra DJ, Bally Sagoo. Cheb i Sabbah began his professional career in the mid-'60s, when he DJed at a Parisian club where he played American soul records. In the late '60s, he became involved with an experimental performance group, the Living Theater. After moving to San Francisco in 1986, he joined a similar group, the Tribal Warning Theater, building a solid reputation for his artistically spliced soundtracks for the group's shows. Cheb i Sabbah has been active in World Music circles as a DJ, producer and musician for over twenty years. His web site is http://www.chebisabbah.com
*	White Feather Films was launched in April 2000 and is the joint venture production company of Sanjay Dutt, Sanjay Gupta and Bobby Anand. Their first production "Kaante," starring Amitabh Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Lucky Ali and Kumar Gaurav, met with huge success at the Box Office. Its next production is "Plan," a stylized action packed thriller set in Mumbai, about four youngsters who come to the city in search of fame and money, kidnap a businessman and land in trouble. Sanjay Dutt, Dino Morea, Bikram Saluja, Sanjay Suri, Rohit Roy, Priyanka Chopra, Sameera Reddy, Riya Sen, will be starring in the film. The movie will be directed by Hriday Shetty, who has assisted Sanjay Gupta in all his films. Plan is scheduled for release in January 2004.
*	Eros Entertainment is the single largest international distributor of Bollywood films worldwide with over 70% market share in the business. Eros has distributed some of the biggest Bollywood Blockbusters of all times - Dil Se, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Taal, Hum Saath Saath Hain, and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge to name a few.
*	T-Series Music is headquartered in India is "a diversified group with $90 million in [its] core business of Consumer Electronics, CD's, Audio/Video Magnetic tapes and cassettes. T-Series offers its products are available across the United States of America, among other countries.