Suburban Atlanta Bar Denies it Performed Musical Compositions Without License

The Old Fountain Tavern in suburban Atlanta, and its owner Stephen Clark, deny the allegations of BMI and eight music publishers that they’re publicly performing musical compositions without the authorization or license of the copyright owners (see 2308180027), said their answer Friday (docket 1:23-cv-03657) in U.S. District Court for Northern Georgia in Atlanta. The defendants allege the plaintiffs “unreasonably delayed filing any claims,” causing them to suffer prejudice. Owner Clark “presently has insufficient knowledge and information upon which to form a belief as to whether he may have additional, and as yet unstated, affirmative defenses available,” said the answer. He reserves the right to seek leave to amend his answer “to assert additional affirmative defenses in the event that discovery reveals facts which render them appropriate,” it said.