BMI Suit Alleges 4 Claims of Willful Copyright Infringement vs. Minn. Tavern

An Oak Grove, Minnesota, eatery and its owner are engaged in the public performance of musical compositions in the BMI repertoire without buying a license, alleged BMI and 13 music publishers in a Copyright Act complaint Monday (docket 0:24-cv-01851) in U.S. District Court for Minnesota. BMI has reached out to SRO Bar & Grill and owner Elise Chester more than 40 times since March 2022 in an effort to educate them about their obligations under the Copyright Act “with respect to the necessity of purchasing a license for the public performance of musical compositions” in the BMI repertoire, said the complaint. The plaintiffs allege four claims of willful copyright infringement, based on the defendants’ unauthorized public performance of musical compositions, it said. All the claims “are governed by the same legal rules and involve similar facts,” it said.