Stay sought on hotels playing music without licence

Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) — a firm engaged in upholding sound recording copyrights — has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on hotels playing music without permission, reports HT Correspondent.

Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) — a firm engaged in upholding sound recording copyrights — has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on hotels playing music without permission.

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In its petition, PPL has included names of 17 hotels such as JW Marriott, Taj Lands End, Marine Centre, Leela Kempenski and Gallops Banquet Hall as respondents.

The petition seeks a stay on these hotels to play copyrighted music during Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The petition seeks that hotels should be restrained from playing music and sound recordings of PPL’s members during events and shows, if they don’t have a licence from PPL.

The vacation bench of the HC will hear PPL’s petition on 24/12.

Stating that hotels make huge profits by playing copyrighted music during Christmas and New Year events, PPL’s petition says, “They cannot be allowed to commit infringement of copyright by playing sound recordings in an unauthorised manner without paying royalty to our members. The defendants are obliged to pay royalty and obtain mandatory licences before organising events in which they use and exploit sound recordings of our members.”

PPL, a registered copyright society under the Copyright Act, 1957 was granted registration in May, 1966.

It engages in carrying-on the copyright business of its members in sound recordings. These sound recordings are owned by the members of PPL, who are leading music companies in India.

This registration allows and entitles PPL to administer its members’ sound recordings, charge and collect fees from users of sound recordings, says the petition.

PPL has claimed that the royalties collected by them are disbursed to the owners of the copyright for usage of the sound recordings.