“…Broadcast Music, Inc. has sued hundreds of establishments across the country, including bars and restaurants in southwest Ohio, for playing BMI-licensed songs without a proper license…a search of civil court 
records shows that BMI Inc. — one of three main protective-rights organizations — usually settles out of court or gets a summary judgement and, in either case, collects thousands of dollars per violated song…”
Dozens of Ohio businesses have been sued and made to pay tens of thousands of dollars for playing music without proper licensing. The lawsuits are part of a concerted effort by such organizations to enforce copyrights and could serve as a warning to other businesses illegally playing licensed music.
“The entertainment industry is in a frenzy not knowing how to protect – put fences around — their copyrights in the digital age, because there’s nothing really that can preclude a perfect digital copy,†said University of Dayton law professor Tracy Reilly, who teaches courses about real property and intellectual property.
The Pub at The Greene in Beavercreek paid more than $30,000 to BMI after a Southern Ohio United States District Court civil case for playing four BMI-licensed songs such as Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl and Johnny Cash’s I Walk The Line.
“How many times do you go into a restaurant and hear them playing a radio station, for example,†said attorney David Rickert, who represented The Pub but could not speak directly about the case due to a confidentiality clause. “Technically, you need a license for that. I think it’s something people just aren’t aware of. Now they’re starting to crack down a little bit on it.â€
For more:Â http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/crime-law/area-bars-sued-for-lack-of-music-licenses/nSsqX/
