The Rojales Council has agreed to pay almost 94,000 euros to the General Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) for the copyright of the music used in various council events over the last seven years.
The council has managed to reach an agreement with the SGAE so that it ends the lawsuit and thus any trial involving the local executive. The agreement was ratified in an extraordinary plenary session.
Now, the City Council has agreed to pay 93,924.21 euros in copyright for the use of music in events between 2014 and 2021. The SGAE filed a lawsuit in which it claimed payment of 106,973.53 euros, plus the costs of the judicial process, for the activities during those years.
Normally, city councils, in the tender for the management of the events they organise, would include a section stating that the copyright for the music or images used is the responsibility of the successful bidder. In this way, such lawsuits are avoided as such matters are always carefully monitored by the SGAE.
The Treasury councillor, Fernando Suria, expressed his satisfaction with the agreement, adding that the SGAE tends to win such trials where local Administrations are ordered to pay not only the debt, but also the interest, as well as the legal costs of the trial. “Therefore, we are aware that this is a good agreement,” he said.
