An appeal court defeat for the company that licences music in shops is a victory for retailers, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
It will save retailers £5m a year and win them a £20m refund of excessive charges they have paid over the last five years.
Phonographic Performance Ltd. (PPL) lost an appeal against a ruling – made last October by the Copyright Tribunal – that licence fee increases it had imposed were excessive.
Shops and other businesses that play recorded music (including from television and in-store or conventional radio stations) have to pay for a licence. PPL collects the copyright fees on behalf of record companies.
BRC director general Stephen Robertson said: “We’ve finally won a victory for fairness. It’s a shame PPL wasn’t willing to accept the original ruling.
“Being able to play music or have a radio on is important for customers and staff in many shops. Performers and record companies are entitled to be paid but increases on the scale demanded were unjustifiable and out of reach for many retailers.
“It’s been a long fight but we now have a level of tariffs that’s fair for all parties.”
Source: British Retail Consortium
