Event organisers to pay royalty to use copyrighted songs
According to a Delhi High Court ruling, event organisers will now have to pay royalty for using copyrighted songs. They will have to inform three copyright societies including Indian Performing Right Society and Phonographic Performance Ltd about the copyrighted work to be used and one of these shall issue an invoice for royalty of the copyright.  
New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) Any event organiser, if using copyrighted music or songs in a party, would have to inform the copyright societies which will issue an invoice for payment of royalty along with proof of their rights as per an interim arrangement arrived at in the Delhi High Court between a firm and three such societies. Under the arrangement, anyone who is going to hold an event will inform the three societies -- Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS), Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) and Novex Communications Pvt Ltd -- about the copyrighted work to be used and one of these three, which holds the rights, shall issue an invoice for royalty along with proof of ownership of the copyright. The event organiser would have to pay the royalty prior to holding the event, Justice Najmi Waziri noted in his order in which he also directed the respondent societies to "upload on their respective websites the (copyright) assignment deeds along with the list of songs pertaining to such assignment deed". The order came after the societies claimed that they "are legitimate assignees of copyrighted works or are otherwise duly authorised agents of copyright owners" and sought to enforce their rights under section 18 (assignment of copyright) and 30 (licences by owners of copyright) of the Copyright Act. 