No music without obtaining licence from copyright body: HC to hotels

PPL had dragged 17 hotels like J W Marriot,Taj Lands End,Supreme Heritage,Imperial Banquets and Leela Kempenski as respondents in its petition.

Vacation judge Justice K K Tated had earlier refused to grant interim relief to PPL,a firm engaged in upholding sound recording copyrights.

The Division bench of Justice S A Bobde and Justice Anoop Mohta on Wednesday accepted the undertakings submitted by most of the hotels and held that in no case shall the hotels play any songs owned by PPL without obtaining licence first.

J W Marriot has submitted that they have already obtained licence and they will be paying licence fee and play songs under the licence. While some hotels have informed that they won’t play any songs owned by PPL,others have undertaken to obtain a licence in case they intend to play music owned by PPL.

The court has directed those hotels to intimate the list of music to PPL by noon on Thursday. PPL’s petition had contended that hotels make huge profits by playing their music during Christmas and New Year parties. Playing music of their clients without paying them royalties cannot be allowed as it amounts to committing infringement of copy right of their clients,contended PPL.

The hotels had earlier contended that they have paid for the licence meant for the whole year including December 31.