

Judge: Mobile Phone Ringtones are Not Concerts - phsr
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/10/judge-mobile-phone-ringtones-are-not-concerts/

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jsm386
I ran a ringtone startup back in 2000 - 2004. ASCAP threatened us more than
once. They claimed that someone who purchased a ringtone from us would then go
ahead and make a public performance every time their phone rang, and thus, we
were obliged to pay up performance licensing fees. I can remember looking the
'payment schedules' over in my freshman dorm room shaking my head in disbelief
(We were already paying other rights agencies at the time [edit - including
ASCAP]). The whole thing was absurd. Good to see a court has finally slapped
some sense into them.

The advice from our lawyers was to just pay up unless we had the money to
fight them in the 'Rate Court' <http://www1.nysd.uscourts.gov> Glad someone
finally did.

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yardie
I can't believe someone actually wasted their money, and tax payer money, to
take this to court. The lawyers must be laughing all the way to the bank.

~~~
hmmmm
They won with musical instrument shops that do have to pay a public
performance license in case a customer plays a known tune while testing a new
instrument

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trafficlight
I'm sorry but that's fucking retarded.

~~~
hmmmm
Some more examples:

John Collins, 57, who runs a software company from a room at his home in
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, received letters saying he needed a licence
for the classical CDs he played while working. "If my wife Susan brings me a
cup of tea and hears the music then I might be liable," he said.

Even dogs and cats do not always escape targeting. Follybridge cattery near
Peterborough and Stokenchurch dog rescue centre in Buckinghamshire, which play
Terry Wogan’s Radio 2 show to their "guests", were both told they would need a
licence in case any workers heard the music.

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pavel_lishin
My common sense is tingling.

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padmanabhan01
Until I read this, I didn't actually believe in Einstein's quote of human
stupidity being infinite.

