Tuesday, March 18, 2008

IPRS threatens showdown on ICL


The third edition of Indian Cricket League (ICL) has been running into rough weather ever since it kicked-off.

While on its inaugural day, its management was slapped with a notice for advancing the tourney without getting permission to do so from Panchkula administration, this time round Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) has threatened a showdown.

The organization that operates as a copyright society for musical and literary works, insuring royalty for its members, claims to have served a legal notice to ICL for flouting rules.

"Without taking license from us, ICL has been playing songs during cricket matches. It does not have a live-event license and any literary or musical work created by our members that have been used to entertain people is illegal," explained Rakesh Nigam, CEO, IPRS.

On the other, while denying having received any notice, Shariq Patel, vice- president, operations, ICL claimed,
"Only those songs that come under the banner of T-Series, which is not a member of IPRS, are being played at the event. T-series has 60% market in the music industry and we have an agreement signed with them to play only their songs."


While IPRS stood its ground saying, "We have records through which we can prove that the songs being played have been composed and written by members of the organization,"
Patel countered,
"IPRS has been demanding an unjustifiable amount."


Stating that earlier when ICL tried to get a license from them, they were stunned by the price quoted.
"IPRS then heavily negotiated the license fee with us, making us doubtful of their intentions. Later, we demanded to know how parameters of rates were decided upon, to which we got no reply."
added Patel.

For information, IPRS came into effect in 1969. With 1,600 members, it boasts of prominent names like Javed Akhtar, Naushad and Sameer.

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