Court strikes right note for music industry, but grey areas remain

The recent Bombay High Court judgement upholding the authority of Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) and Novex Communications Pvt Ltd to issue licences as copyright owners could pave the way for royalties for playing music at weddings, restaurants, and other public places.

- LataJha

Implementation, though, is a challenge considering the sheer scale and geographical expanse of such events. Plus, the verdict is somewhat limited in its scope and some aspects are yet unresolved.

G.B. Aayeer, managing director and CEO of PPL said: "The judgement grants PPL and Novex the authority to issue licences independently as owners of copyright, enabling them to prevent infringement and seek remedies against unauthorized use of their copyrighted work.

This ruling works against parties or entities that were using music illegally without obtaining licences from PPL and Novex, majority of whom belong to the hotels, pubs and bars sector." The verdict brings clarity and legal validation to the operations of not only music licensing companies like PPL and Novex, but also other music copyright owners, Aayeer added.