Gunjan Chaudhary
Sanjay Dutt’s Pune-based nightclub Ballr has landed in a copyright controversy after Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) India approached the Bombay High Court over the alleged unauthorised use of copyrighted music. The court has now granted interim relief to PPL and restrained the nightclub from publicly playing songs from its repertoire without obtaining the required licence. The controversy reportedly came to light after a PPL representative visited Ballr on June 24 and allegedly found several popular copyrighted tracks being played at the venue.
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt’s Nightclub Faces Action
The list reportedly included Bollywood songs such as ‘Badtameez Dil’, ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’, ‘Dard-e-Disco’, ‘O Saki Saki’ and ‘Dus Bahane’. International tracks including Justin Bieber’s ‘What Do You Mean’ and Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating’ were also allegedly being played. According to the reports, PPL holds or administers the relevant rights to the sound recordings and claimed that Ballr was using them without the necessary authorisation. The Bombay High Court passed an ad-interim order on August 7, restraining Ballr’s owners from publicly performing or using sound recordings from PPL’s repertoire without obtaining the appropriate non-exclusive public performance licence.
Sanjay Dutt’s Nightclub
During the proceedings, the court was reportedly informed that Ballr had previously obtained a licence to use music from PPL’s repertoire. However, that licence had expired and was not renewed. The court’s interim order therefore prevents the nightclub from continuing to use the concerned copyrighted recordings without the required permission.
Sanjay Dutt
Playing popular songs at a commercial establishment such as a nightclub is different from simply listening to music privately. Businesses that publicly play copyrighted sound recordings may need appropriate licences from the relevant rights holders or licensing bodies. PPL has maintained that unauthorised commercial use of copyrighted music can result in legal consequences. Its advocate reportedly said the latest injunction sends a clear message to venues that continued unauthorised use of copyrighted recordings can have serious consequences.
Sanjay Dutt
Ballr is a luxury nightclub in Pune associated with Sanjay Dutt and Heramb Shelke. The copyright dispute has now put the venue under legal scrutiny over its music practices. The case is currently at the interim stage, meaning the court’s latest order is not a final determination of all issues in the dispute. For now, Sanjay Dutt’s Ballr will have to ensure that it has the necessary permissions before publicly playing music covered by PPL’s repertoire, as the copyright battle continues in the Bombay High Court.