ASCAP Files Lawsuit Against Columbus Music Venue King Of Clubs Alleging Copyright Infringement
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) has filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of Ohio against Universal Entertainment LLC and its owner. According to the lawsuit, the Columbus venue is facing legal action over its use of the musical hits “Pony”, “Jump Around” and “All the Small Things.”
According to the lawsuit, the King of Clubs committed copyright infringement by playing the aforementioned songs on May 10 without permission. ASCAP is demanding up to $30,000 in damages per violation. The King of Clubs responded by saying that they were unaware of any lawsuits filed and had not been served with any papers.
The King of Clubs is a multi-tiered location found on Busch Blvd that hosts live concerts. The venue began operating in March 2021 as an all-inclusive facility that features music from a variety of genres.
ASCAP lawsuits against bars and venues
Herbilicious Music, W Chapell Music Corp, WC Music Corp, Irish Intellect Music and HNMIM Music are all members of ASCAP. This means that they grant ASCAP the “non-exclusive right to license the performing rights in that member’s copyrighted musical compositions.” Without a license from ASCAP, venues are not allowed to “perform” copyrighted works. This means that not only can musicians not play covers, the bar can’t play songs over a jukebox.
Generally, an ASCAP agent will visit a bar without a valid ASCAP license and determine whether or not they are offering music to their customers. If ASCAP finds that music is being offered to the customers, then a determination is made as to whether or not the music is owned by one of ASCAP’s 960,000 members.
ASCAP claims to have made more than 70 attempts to Universal Entertainment LLC to offer an ASCAP license to the King of Clubs. ASCAP had this to say about the lawsuit:
“As songwriters and composers, we must earn our livelihoods through our creative work, and music is how we put food on the table and send our kids to school. Most businesses know that an ASCAP license allows them to offer music legally, efficiently and at a reasonable price – while compensating music creators fairly.”
The lawsuit is one of 13 copyright infringement cases filed by ASCAP against bars and restaurants across the U.S. for playing music compositions without permission.
Talk to a General Business Litigation Lawyer Today
Is your business being sued for violating the copyright of another business? If so, you’ll need an aggressive legal defense to avoid paying $30,000 per violation. Kohl & Cook Law Firm, LLC represents the interests of businesses being sued for copyright infringement. Call our Columbus consumer lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin preparing your defense right away.
Source:
dispatch.com/story/news/2024/06/27/ascap-music-rights-lawsuit-columbus-venue-king-of-clubs-concert-copyright-licence/74204943007/
