Discord over taxi drivers’ music rights

Source: Dewsbury Reporter

PLAYING a little background music during a journey with a passenger, could mean taxi drivers hitting a sour note with the law.

Cabbies in Kirklees are to be reminded that they need a licence to have recorded music in their cars or taxi offices. And this would set firms back up to £99.

Members of the licensing committee agreed this week the rules should be made clear to everyone in the trade.

Legal officers produced a report saying UK copyright law requires anyone using recorded music in public to have a performing rights licence, which protects the rights of composers, lyricists and copyright owners.

If music is being played in a cab carrying fare-paying passengers, the taxi becomes a public transport vehicle and so subject to the law.

Principal legal officer Geoff Bell told the committee: “Taxis should have the licences and so should operators. The chances of the ruling bodies taking action are minimal but random checks are possible.
“I don’t think the council should impose conditions. But we should advise firms they could be breaking the law.”

Amjad Nadeem, vice-chairman of Kirklees Hackney Carriage Association, said: “We will make this clear in our training and recruitment programmes.”

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