NEW ORLEANS – A collection of music labels is seeking damages against a bar over alleged copyright infringement.
Broadcast Music Inc.; EMI Unart Catalog Inc.; Universal – Songs of Polygram International Inc.; Songs of Universal Inc.; EMI Virgin Songs Inc., doing business as EMI Longitude Music; Concord Music Group Inc., doing business as Jondora Music; Screen Gems – EMI Music Inc.; Fourteenth Hour Music Inc.; Springtime Music Inc.; Arc Music Corp.; Cotillion Music Inc.; Sony/ATV Song LLC, doing business as Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; Rondor Music International Inc., doing business as Irving Music; Gibb Brothers Music; Crompton Songs; and Bocephus Music Inc. filed a lawsuit on Feb. 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Court of Louisiana against The Mule’s Hitch LLC, doing business as The Mule’s Hitch, and Caroline Korndorffer over what they allege is a violation of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976.
The plaintiffs claim that since November 2012, BMI has reached out to defendants more than 100 times through the phone, mail and in-person visits to notify them about adhering to copyright obligations and purchasing a license for the public performance of musical compositions belonging to the plaintiffs. They assert that defendant has been sent cease and desist notices, alerting them of the formal demand of cessation of their actions. The plaintiffs allege 13 claims of willful copyright infringement by the defendants based upon public performance of musical pieces from plaintiffs’ library. These alleged infringements have caused plaintiffs financial damages.
They are suing for an enjoinment against the defendants from further copyright infringing, statutory damages, court costs and attorney fees, and any other reward deemed just by the court. They are represented by Mark A. Balkin and Joseph C. Chautin III, from Hardy, Carey, Chautin, & Balkin LLP in Mandeville.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-CV-01080