As per reports, Super Cassettes Industries Pvt. Ltd has entered into an exclusive arrangement with Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) by which PPL will be managing the public performance licenses of the T Series repertoire in India.
T-Series Chairman and Managing Director Bhushan Kumar has been reported to say, “We have had a long association with PPL and are, further, very happy, with the positive changes taking place under the new management. I am honoured to be able to add value to the running of the Company, by coming on the board, at this juncture, when the organization is poised to harness its true potential in the coming years.”
PPL Managing Director Rajat Kakar has been reported to say, “We are delighted to renew our association with T-Series for Public Performance Licensing in the country. With its aggressive marketing, T-Series is a powerhouse of hits and no party is a success, without playing hits from their roster. As we increase our licensing footprint, renewal of this mandate was eagerly awaited by our team and licensees alike. This year also marks a decade of our partnership with T-Series. We also welcome T-Series MD Bhushan Kumar, on PPL’s board of directors. With him on board, we are looking forward to PPL, scaling further heights in the years to come.”
The website of PPL reflects Super Cassettes Industries Pvt. Ltd as its member but provides link to a June 11, 2014 letter by which T Series had assigned public performance rights to PPL. Therefore, the exact terms of the arrangement are not known.
With T Series joining as a member, PPL, now, will have a majority control in the music sector as they already have major Indian players like Saregama, Sony Music, Universal Music, Venus, Aditya, Lahari Music etc.
Meanwhile, there seems to be no update on the status of the applications filed by PPL and RMPL (Recorded Music Performance Limited) for registration as a copyright society. RMPL had filed an application on March 26, 2018 applied through the Registrar of Copyrights, before the Central Government for its registration as a copyright society under Section 33 of the Copyright Act, 1957 in respect of Sound Recording Works. Subsequently, PPL also filed an application for registration as a copyright society for sound recording works. It would be interesting to see as to which of these two entities is granted registration.
As reported here, Producers Copyright Guild had raised objections to the public notice dated May 22, 2018 of the Copyright Office which had invited objections/ suggestions pertaining to the application filed by RMPL for registration as a copyright society on the ground that the 2012 Amendment requires that the Author and Other Owners shall be a part of the society to administer the sound recording class of work as provided under Section 34 of the Act and that the application by RMPL for copyright society for administering the rights, only by ‘Other Owners’ in the class of sound recording work i.e. without the participation of the sound recording author is in contravention of the Copyright Act and Rules.
So far there is no public notice on the Copyright Office website with respect to the application filed by PPL or inviting objections with respect to the same.
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