US songwriter royalty society ASCAP has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against 29 clubs, bars and restaurants across America which, the collecting society claims, have been playing their members' music without a licence. The society's VP Licensing Vincent Candilora confirmed the lawsuits yesterday, telling reporters: "By filing these 29 actions at the same time, ASCAP is aiming to heighten awareness among music users and the public that it is a federal offence to perform copyrighted music without permission. ASCAP's priority is to serve as a voice and advocate for its more than 315,000 members who are essentially the smallest of small business owners. ASCAP not only has a right to collect license fees from the users of music, but it also has a responsibility to its members to ensure they are adequately compensated for their hard work".
Mar 25, 2008
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1 min read
US collecting society launches 29 infringement lawsuits against clubs and bars
US songwriter royalty society ASCAP has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against 29 clubs, bars and restaurants it says played its members' music without a licence.