Judge rules in favour of APRA in $136,000 music copyright case against SA karaoke bar

In September 2024, in a case between APRA and the owner of a popular South Australian karaoke venue, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia ruled that copyright in musical works (songs, compositions) were infringed by the owner and operator of that venue.

After contacting the venue owner and operator to take out an APRA music licence on a multitude of occasions, the venue refused, which lead to a finding by the Court that the owner and operator each infringed APRA’s copyright in musical works. APRA is part of the OneMusic joint licensing initiative along with AMCOS and PPCA.

Director of OneMusic, Catherine Giuliano said: 

"For OneMusic, infringement actions are a last resort. It's not a route we wish to take. Ultimately, our purpose is to issue licences for the use of music in businesses and, in so doing, look after the rights of music creators who often rely on these payments to make a living as a small business themselves."

The Court has ordered the owner and operator to pay more than $56,000 in damages and $10,000 in legal costs to APRA, with a further $70,000 payable for additional damages, which is often imposed by the Court due to the flagrancy of the copyright infringement.