BMI, 8 Publishers Sue Fla. Restaurant for Unauthorized Music Use

BMI contacted Palm Bay, Florida, restaurant The Shack Riverfront over 60 times since October 2020 by phone, mail and email about the need to buy a license for public performance of music in the BMI portfolio, said a Thursday copyright infringement lawsuit (docket 6:23-cv-00857) in U.S. District Court for Middle Florida in Orlando. In the seven-claim suit, BMI and eight music publishers allege the restaurant publicly performs musical compositions without authorization. Among the letters it sent were cease and desist notices giving the establishment formal notice that it must immediately stop use of all BMI-licensed music, the complaint said. BMI seeks orders that the restaurant is enjoined from infringing BMI-licensed music and that it must pay statutory damages and attorneys’ fees, it said.