Charity Forced to Pay Copyright Fee So Kids Can Sing Carols
Written by enigmax on December 09, 2007Christmas is known world-wide as a time for sharing, a time for giving. But for one charity, instead of Santa arriving with gifts, the copyright police turned up demanding money. Why? Because the charity allows children to sing carols on the premises and their kitchen radio is a little loud. You couldn’t make it up.
Be under no illusion, being unlicensed to play music to the public is a very serious situation in the UK. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 states that if you use copyright music in public, you have to get permission from every single copyright holder to play their music. Or pay a fee to the right outfit.
Car maintenance chain Kwik Fit is currently tied up in a bitter legal battle with the UK Performing Rights Society (PRS). It’s alleged that Kwik Fit’s mechanics allowed their radios to be played within earshot of the public - a truly heinous crime for which the PRS are demanding £200,000 in damages.
According to a report, the PRS are at it again. The staff at a charity also received a visit from a PRS officer who declared that because a staff radio in the kitchen could be overheard by the public in their tea-room, they would need a license. The charity, Dam House, which was originally set up to save a historic building and offer community and health facilities, had to have a fund-raising event to raise the money for the license.
However, having purchased a license, this wasn’t the end of the matter. The PRS then started asking more questions, and when they discovered that kids sing in a carol concert there at Christmas, they declared that the premises were under licensed. Yes, of course - the PRS wanted yet more money.
“We got really worked up when they told us how much we would have to pay this year” said charity trustee, Margaret Hatton. “They asked us what facilities we had and we think they are charging more because they found out we’ve got a function room.”
The next quote from Margaret really speaks for itself - has the world gone mad?
“They told us the only way to avoid paying to sing the carols is if the kids are told to stick to old songs which are out of copyright.”
Next thing you know someone will be saying ‘Happy Birthday‘ is copyrighted and you can’t sing that to the public in the tea-rooms. Well, unfortunately it is, and legally you can’t.
Elaine Hurst, another Dam House trustee explained: “We know the recording artists need to be paid for their work but this is ridiculous.”
Every TV owning family in the UK has to have a UK TV License by law, the proceeds of which go to fund BBC TV and BBC radio stations nationwide. To charge a charity money because the public can overhear a radio is crazy, especially when you consider the public already paid another license to be allowed to listen to the content coming out of its speakers.
Merry Christmas PRS
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seriously, wtf?
this is insane
I seriously don’t know what to say. I’m from the UK myself and this is messed up. What kind of scrooge threatens a charity for singing carols?
The whole country is going to the dogs :(
wtf…
stick to old classics, they are better anyway. it has a realy xmas feeling to it.
dont watch tv, dont listen to radio. they are just a waste of time (which is their purpose right?)
but, next thing you know, they will charge you for NOT buying a tv lol.
I’m so fucking speechless…. pay to sing Christmas carols? Are these fuckers that desperate to protect their fucking artists?
This is fucking ridiculous. It goes to show that these fuckups don’t give a shit when or what time of the year it is, they just want money.
[quote]
The next quote from Margaret really speaks for itself - has the world gone mad?
[/quote]
QFT
I wonder who the terrorists are..
I know this is going to sound bizarre, but I was reading at an oddball website, zeoez.com about a guy named ‘Billy Meir’ who speaks with UFO people from other stars. (this will certainly affect my credibility, oh well ;-( And they claim that President Bush has the UK and every single official in his back pocket either bought and sold or outright intimidation. Supposedly, at the time, Prez Bush briefed Tony Blair about Iraq, what was allowed and not allowed VIA the political worldwide arena. Now I believe it! Apparently the UK suffers copyright paranoia at least as bad as in the states. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the UK, (Especially the ladies) The truth IS out there folks!
Absolutely disgraceful, I hope the members of the P.R.S (and anyone else of the some mentality) have a really CRAP Christmas… for the rest of their stinking, no-good, money grabbing lives!
What sort of people are these that do such things? Do they come from outer space or from special breeding facilities? It seems as if they never had a family.
In past history people never liked those who go around and collect money and it is still the same today. Not the people have to adjust to it but the system needs to be changed. The money needs to come from elsewhere and not the public. It seems that whenever money needs to be collected from the public it brings out the worst kind of human. People who do not care about others and only go for the money. These people are on the rise world wide as if we are about to go into a second Middle Age. Is this the start of a new Middle Age and can we not just skip it?
Way to go PRS.
“but, next thing you know, they will charge you for NOT buying a tv lol.”
In North America, this is already happening in a way. The subsidies that TV-makers and consumer electronics corporations get acts as a way of funneling money (through corporate tax breaks, corporate welfare, etc) to these big companies. So even if you don’t buy a TV, your taxes are still going towards them.
It’s perhaps the most outrageous, and the most insane, if not inane, thing to do. What happened? Uncle Scrooge now wants to copyright your childhood?
This is really, really idiotic.
[quote comment="235059"]but, next thing you know, they will charge you for NOT buying a tv lol.[/quote]
People from the TV liscensing place came round to my friends house with a search warrant because they didn’t believe he doesn’t have a tv.
I guess that Charles Dickens was really foretelling the future of England’s PRS corporation: Oh! Profitable Representative Scrooge.
It’s a shame that big company “Society’s” have no ethical values anymore. All they care about is $$$$. Moreover, they use “legal laws” to steal from society. They talk on behalf of artists, and yet the CEOs of these companies make more money than the artists who toiled to give birth to the artistic products that the public in society really enjoy and admire. Big company’s don’t give a damn about the artists which they hypocritically claim to represent. They just give a damn about making themselves more profitable $$$. They are grown-up child bullies. They go after the smaller children. And, unfortunately, politicians and judicial systems are the prostitutes of Big Companie$, instead of the individual voting public. After all, these Big Companie$ provide the funds for the politicians so they can $ucce$$fully run in their shameless election$.
Kmon peeps all around the world NEED TOO FIGHT BACK.
RESIST THEM WITH ALL YOUR BEING!!!!!
There are MORE of us then there is of them.
Why the hell hasn’t a crowd gathered and marched on all these political establishments,and PHYSICALLY REMOVE theses pompous ass politicians from office.Kmon people im sick of soloing cops,back a brother up please.
LIBERTY OR DEATH!!!!!
Death is looking like the only option as time goes on.
So they need a license because radio was to loud? WTF radio is already broadcast to the public. I thought the US was bad looks like the UK is right there with us
Damn those criminals, will they never learn :P
this seems to be totaly rediculous..
i think the PRS has gone mad..
Shameless people demand money even for charity events where the performers are kids who dont even know about the patents…
They are deliberately going for a weak “do gooder” that will bow down to them (notice how they actually got a license for the radio when they were told to).
They’re not doing it for the money, they are doing it for publicity. They want the world to see what they are doing to scare the people who download into stopping.
I am involved with a church that does public singing. Most churches pay a set fee per year to be able to sing copyrighted songs. The fee is determined on the basis of congregation size. We will never ever pay. Period. If they ever ask, they’ll have to take us to court.
I am convinced their understanding of the law is wrong and that the way they administer the system is illegal.
What we need is for them to target someone who will stand up to them. Then, when they inevitably back down (as bullies tend to do when confronted), match them on the “use the media to educate the public” front, explaining that the reason they are not taking you to court is because they have no case.
Sure they we will never win the war, but they are winning the media battle currently.
if any kids come singing carols at my house this christmas i am gonna make them pay me for listening to their crappy songs
[quote comment="235089"]I thought the US was bad looks like the UK is right there with us[/quote]
And I thought Bush and Blair were twins??
Utter Disgrace as a resident of the UK i fully intend to lodge a formal complaint disgusting
This just seems like a bad joke.
A further erosion of tradition and culture.
Makes you wonder who is really threatening our freedoms.
Makes me fucking sick what these people are doing.
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