FIVE nightclubs in Suva have been issued summons to appear in court for failure to pay licensing fees for the use of local composer’s copyright music.
Fiji Performing Rights Association chairman Eremasi Tamanisau said nightclubs and bars continued to make money from songs by registered composers and performers without paying a licensing fee.
The five nightclubs are popular among night revellers for playing iTaukei music and having live bands and, Mr Tamanisau said, the owners of these clubs refused to pay up as per the Fiji Copyright Act.
“The FPRA acquires performing rights (of copyright) from local composers, authors and publishers via their membership. The copyright owner has exclusive right to permit or prohibit use of his/her work and to receive financial compensation for any permitted use. However, it is difficult for copyright owners to monitor every use of the work and for every user to directly contact the copyright owner to seek permission to use the work,” he said.
“We’ve been trying to get these club owners to the table to try and discuss how we can go about this issue, but so far they have not been forthcoming,” he said.
Fiji Performing Rights Association chairman Eremasi Tamanisau said nightclubs and bars continued to make money from songs by registered composers and performers without paying a licensing fee.
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