PRS licence

[jadoube]

Our company has just been hit with a threatening letter from the PRS.

We have (silent) large screens in the office showing news 24 and Sky news. The idea is to have some visual movement around the office, it helps liven folk us a little.

When we phoned to find out what the fuss was about we were told that if the sound was ever on there was a chance some clip on the news would be accompanied by music so we needed one of their licences.

The licence isn't a big sum so its no problem with paying. On the other hand not keen to pay for something that, to the layman, sounds slightly OTT. (It would hurt the company if we simply paid up every time we had an 'unexpected' letter / invoice . Companies get a lot of these.)

Can anyone more knowledgeable confirm it is the case that you need a PRS licence to show the news (with the sound off). And how do we prove the sound is never on?

 

[Thaumaturge]

I think you will find that you cannot prove that the sound is always off. If you have the ability to turn the sound on then it will be assumed that you use it. It is similar to having a telivision set at home but you say that you only watch dvds so you don't need a television license. That wouldn't work - it's what the equipment is capable of that counts.
Sorry,
Colin

 

[Pjonah]

Sorry don't know the true legal position, but I can guess its probably not looking good for you, however, what about looking at You tube or the BBC i player at work on your computer?

Its does seem to be getting a bit petty?

I know they have the "greater good" of musicians and performers in mind, but this does them no favours IMHO.

Simon

 

[jadoube]

Suprisingly it appears they will take our word the sound is off.

I'm not comfortable to go down that route, all it takes is the boss to decide in 6 months time there's a one-off reason to switch it on. The chances that the people with the authority/inclination to switch on will remember the issue are zilch. You don't get to be in that position by having a head for detail.

Much simpler to pay, even if paying for the music content of news24 is rather galling. We've some very odd ring tones. Perhaps we need a licence for that anyway.

We block Youtube, and a range of other sites. Not sure about iplayer. We're open plan, anyone who uses their PC speakers gets hell for disturbing the others. Not done.

 

[Col9]

They got us at work, we had to have a licence for each and every radio and tv etc so they banned all the radios bar 1 and piped it all around the factory. Its great but the local staion we are made to listen to plays the same crap on a loop which restarts every day 😡

It ott but it appears to be legal.

Col.

 

[mfox]

go to the FSB (federation of small business) forum you will find info on there.
my business is being hounded by these nazis at the moment..i have told them to supply me with a list of all the artist that my money will be going to. how much they get.. and if they phone and say the conversation is being recorded for training, i tell them i don't want to be recorded (as is my right)
i cannot see how this can stand up in law..no test cases yet.
the law says that you are not allowed to use material for performance.. i don't perform the music.. i receive it, the radio station performs it..
a recent poll stated that 85 % of radio is listened to by people at work. if this carries on there will be no one listening to radio, no commercial revenue, so no royalties.

 

[Col9]

mfox wrote:
go to the FSB (federation of small business) forum you will find info on there.
my business is being hounded by these nazis at the moment..i have told them to supply me with a list of all the artist that my money will be going to. how much they get.. and if they phone and say the conversation is being recorded for training, i tell them i don't want to be recorded (as is my right)
i cannot see how this can stand up in law..no test cases yet.
the law says that you are not allowed to use material for performance.. i don't perform the music.. i receive it, the radio station performs it..
a recent poll stated that 85 % of radio is listened to by people at work. if this carries on there will be no one listening to radio, no commercial revenue, so no royalties.

Not sure about Jadoube but we are not really a small business. We have 54 plants worldwide and as a company seem to wriggle out of alot of things. Not this though.

Still good luck. It has always seemed to be a bit grey.

 

[PaulyT]

We have 54 plants worldwide

I'got more than that in my garden - call youself a large company?? Pah!!
:laugh: :laugh:

 

[jadoube]

Col, I agree, at our size you pay up.

Small- medium. 10,000 worldwide parent, 350 people in the UK. Say 175 people at the head office - split into 4 areas, each with a large screen. (No screens at our smaller regional offices.)

We've no plants at all, Grow acres of fag ends outside though. 😉

 

[Col9]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Nice one Pauly. If they make me redundant could you find me a job in your garden. I feel like a move up to a bigger company is on the cards.

Col.

 

[Rogerb]

I think the height of nonsense is the PRS pursuing a music shop, because the customers trying-out instruments MIGHT be playing copyrighted material (no danger in my case!!). :erm:

 

[Taz]

Hey Roger, I play copyrighted music all the time.......... just no one recognises it

 

[Greywolf]

Anyone remember the case of the music shop in Macclesfield.

The owner was approached by the PRS and asked if customers ever tried-out the instruments by playing them.

When they were told that they did, the owner was told that this would constitute a public performance and he would need a PRS licence.

In the end I think the owner won that one but it took a while and going public with it probably helped.