PPL moves HC seeking fees from hotels for New Year parties

Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL), which holds copyright of over 250 music companies in India, on Monday moved the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to five- star hotels, restaurants and clubs not to play music at the New Year parties till they pay licence fees.

PPL is the copyright society for sound recordings and is registered with the Government of India. PPL is mainly engaged in administering the broadcasting/telecasting and public performance rights on behalf of its member music companies.

PPL counsel Manish Upadhye said some hotels, including J W Marriot, Sahara Star and Sea Princess, have organised parties on the New Year eve by collecting entry fees and they must pay licence fees to PPL if they play music on which it has copyright. Adjourning the matter to December 28, Justice Girish Godbole, presiding over a vacation court, asked the counsel to serve notices to respondents, including the five-star hotels which have planned bashes on the New Year eve.

"The hotels would collect substantial amount of entry fees from the invitees at the parties and thus would be in a position to pay the licence fees to PPL. Unless they sought permission to play music, the hotels should not be allowed to hold the parties," Upadhye said. PPL argued that under Copyrights Act, it was entitled to issue licences to establishments for playing music over which it held copyrights.