PUNE: Novex
Communications Private Limited, holding the copyright of over 5,000 Bollywood
songs, has filed an FIR against the Sunburn organizers for playing some popular
numbers allegedly without obtaining the necessary licence.
The company's MD Ketan Kanakia told pune-news.com that the FIR was recently filed under the Indian
Copyright Act, 1957 after a couple of Bollywood hits owned by the company were
played by the Sunburn organizers. The company had warned them on the necessity
of obtaining the licence to play the songs.
"Our company holds the copyright of the most popular
tracks in the Bollywood industry currently, including the hits from 'Tiger
Zinda Hai'. Whenever an event organizer plays the songs of which we own the
copyright, they have to give us a licence fee. The organizers against whom the
FIR was filed failed to obtain the licence for playing the songs," said
Kanakia.
A senior official of the Hinjewadi police station confirmed
that the FIR was filed on January 2. "The organizers were playing songs
owned by Novex without their permission and sans paying any royalty to the
company," the official said.
The authorities of Novex, managing the copyright for Yashraj
Films, ZEE Entertainment Enterprise Limited, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited and
Eros International Media Limited alleged that Sunburn, Pune, played songs like
'Malhari' from 'Bajirao Mastani' and 'Kajrare Kajrare' from the movie 'Bunty
Aur Bubli', owned by the company.
A source in Percept Live, which owns the Sunburn Music
Festival, said, "This is an ongoing issue with music societies and those
who claim to be the copyright owners. In most cases, such societies do not have
the legal authority to seek compensation. Even if they do, they are at the best
entitled to get royalty for the tracks played. But most of these societies
approach event organizer and demand a hefty fee without substantiating the
ownership of the songs."
The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI)
earlier filed a writ petition before the Bombay high court challenging the
demands of Novex, stating that it cannot indulge in the business of issuing or
granting such a licence. The issue is currently pending in the high court.
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