Virginia Beach karaoke bar sued over copyright infringement

A Virginia Beach's Bayside Bar & Grill is currently facing a large copyright lawsuit from Broadcast Music Inc., a company that owns the licensing rights to public performances of approximately 8.5 million songs.

According to the complaint, Bayside failed to buy licensing for six songs that were performed during one of the bar's karaoke nights, including Tim McGraw's "Don't Take the Girl" and Bell Biv DeVoe's "Poison. Broadcast is seeking damages in the range of $750 to $150,000 for each of the six songs, as well as court costs and attorney's fees.

Liz Fischer, a spokeswoman for Broadcast Music, says that the company doesn't like suing bars, and only takes legal action as a last resort, citing the fact that the company only filed 160 infringement suits last year. The company, however, feels a professional and ethical commitment to protect their clients' rights when bars don't cooperate with the licensing process.

"These songwriters rely on their royalty payments," Fischer said. "They are essentially their own small-business owner."

Companies like Broadcast will often send undercover investigators to karaoke bars to make sure the music they're playing is actually covered by their license, which can sometimes cause friction with bar owners. In the case of Bayside's alleged infringement, Fischer said her company has, since 2013, sent the bar a total of 25 letters and 30 phone calls, none of which were responded to.

If you are in the middle of a copyright dispute, or if you think someone else is profiting from your own work, it is important to speak with a skilled business attorney. A lawyer can help protect your rights in case of litigation.

Categorised in: Entertainment Law, Intellectual Property Law

This post was written by