PUTNAM COUNTY, GA. (WGXA) — A bar in Putnam County will have to pay over $17,200 in damages for copyright infringement after failing to hold a license with a major performing rights organization. A judge sided with plaintiffs Monday, Aug. 3, and ordered Pals Watering Hole LLC to pay damages after determining the bar located near Lake Oconee in Eatonton allowed public performance of music belonging to the catalogue of Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI). Performing copyrighted music in a public setting, is considered a public performance, and copyright law requires permission unless a blanket license is in place, as determined by current copyright law developed following the Copyright Act of 1976. In 2018, the Music Modernization Act amended copyright law to create a statutory blanket license for making and distributing nondramatic musical sound recordings, including through digital delivery. A blanket license allows digital music services to distribute sound recordings covered by the license without negotiating for the rights for each individual recording, as long as the music service complies with the license's requirements, such as paying the required royalties. Bars typically buy an annual blanket license from one or more Performing Rights Organizations (PROs), such as BMI, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and SESAC. For instance, any business where music is played, such as a bar, an owner or manager would pay the PRO for the license. The PRO then…
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