Listening To The Radio At Work? Prepare To Be Sued 486
MLCT writes "The Performing Rights Society, one of the UK's royalties collecting societies, has taken a Scottish car servicing company to court because the employees are alleged to have been listening to the radio at work, allowing the music to be 'heard by colleagues and customers'. The PRS is seeking £200,000 in damages for the 'performances of the music' which they claim equates to copyright infringement. The judge, Lord Emslie, has ruled that the case can continue to hearing evidence, commenting that the key point to note was that music was 'audibly blaring from employee's radios'. Where do the extents of a 'public performance' end? Radios on in cabs?"
Not Surprising (Score:5, Informative)
I was once approached by a BMI agent about the music playing in the kitchen for this same reason. ASCAP and BMI will go after restaurants for royalties from jukeboxes, or bands playing cover songs -- and even your kitchen crew playing their favorite tunes while they work, if it's audible to the customers. That was the stipulation, it had to be quiet enough not to beard from the dining room. Of course, we wanted it that way anyway so as not to interfere with the house music, but on lulls sometimes sound travels.
I thought it had gone too far at that point, without the madness from the RIAA and their relatively recent infringement suits. They've been out of line for a while, folks!
It has been like this for a long time.. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Somebody please, stop the madness (Score:2, Informative)
Even though this is occurring in another country, this may give them some sort of precedent ...
Here in Australia, this is already long the established (APRA v Tolbush [1986]), I'm surprised that it is not already so in the UK. In Tolbush an agent from the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) asked for a car radio to be demonstrated in a shop, and when the shop keeper turned the radio on he got sued for making an infringing public performance (how that was not authorisation I don't know).
It's seems a little odd that the RIAA hasn't set this up in the US yet. Maybe they are waiting to get one of their congressmen/senators to enact it legislatively rather throwing the dice in court?
Re:It's the law (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Somebody please, stop the madness (Score:5, Informative)
You do realize that businesses that play (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Somebody please, stop the madness (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Somebody please, stop the madness (Score:5, Informative)
Reference:
http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/India/SaltMarch.html [thenagain.info]
Re:Somebody please, stop the madness (Score:1, Informative)
Actually in Finland it's already coming that you have to pay royalties in cabs.
Muzak is not a slangword (Score:3, Informative)
Actually Muzak (http://muzak.com) is a corporation, which exists for decades. Their mission is to grace humanity with this fine music you can hear in elevators and shopping malls throughout the world.
"Music" that is filtered and frequency optimized so it doesn't disturb your lift riding -, or shopping experience.
So no, even if a lot of people think so, Muzak is not a slang word for rotten music. Then again: The general public has hardly any dealings with Muzak LLC (apart from being forced to listen to this shit).
Re:Muzak is not a slangword (Score:3, Informative)
Short version: languages change in ways that cannot be controlled. Methinks that he that dost not realize the truth of this will be considered a pedant anon.
Well known law in the UK (Score:3, Informative)
Fees for playing the radio or CDs in shops or offices are well known in the UK. The law may well be an ass, but this particular law is very well known, and any businessman who claims ignorance or rebellion is going to get squished in court.
Kwik-Fit are the most well-known brand of chain garages in the UK. That they've been stupid enough to let employees play the radio in the presence of their customers, without getting a licence, is overwhelmingly their own look-out, pathetic bloody company I've no sympathy at all </vogon>
Licences and tarrifs are well known, well publicised, easy to obtain and inexpensive [mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk].
Personally I find almost all instances of intellectual property rights fundamentally flawed, but I'm not stupid enough to try that as an argument in court against a licence fee which has been collected nationwide, in every corner shop and mall, without exception, for fifty odd years. Pick yer bloody battles, mate.