11 charged for violating public performance rights in Italy

Rome, 21st April 2008

Police have charged 11 people for breaching public performance rights in northern Italy. This marks a significant milestone in the campaign against nightclub owners, bar managers and others who violate public performance rights by playing music in commercial premises without permission, which is a criminal violation of Italian copyright law.

Public performance rights require that composers, artists and record producers should be paid when their work is played by businesses to attract and retain custom. Nightclubs and bars are legally required to pay for the music they play just as they are expected to pay for other costs such as heating, lighting, wages and products such as drinks.

Investigators from the Federation against Music Piracy (FPM) worked with the Italian Fiscal Police to carry out raids in Florence, Bergamo and the northern Alpine region of the country. The nightclub owners and bar managers found breaching copyright law are also to be criminally prosecuted for violations of health and safety legislation as well as tax evasion. Dozens of computers containing more than 50,000 music files were seized during the raids.

Further enforcement action is expected to take place in the following weeks across Italy.