Bombay High Court Bars Restaurant Chains From Playing PPL Music Without Licence

The Bombay High Court, in an interim order, restrained restaurant operators running nearly 94 outlets from publicly playing music from Phonographic Performance Limited’s (PPL) repertoire without a valid licence.

Finding a prima facie case of copyright infringement, the Court held that unauthorised use would cause financial loss to PPL.

It rejected objections on maintainability, holding that an exclusive licensee can sue for infringement, and ruled that disputes over licence fees cannot justify copyright violations.

[Phonographic Performance Ltd. v. Trinetra Venture & Ors.]