FC: Finnish taxi drivers must pay royalties for backseat music

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 20:43:52 -0500
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Subject: Finnish taxi drivers to pay royalties for backseat music
From: Bryce Kretschmann <oaf () runbox com>
To: declan () well org
Message-Id: <D7921D00-0729-11D7-9EF7-000393BB828C () runbox com>

Hi, Declan,

Annanova put this up a couple hours ago, quoting no source.  Lauri Luotonen 
does appear to be chairman of the Helsinki Taxi Driver's Association, but 
I've not been able to find free Finnish-English machine translation, so 
this is it.



Finnish taxi drivers to pay royalties for backseat music

Finland's Supreme Court has ruled taxi drivers must pay royalty fees if 
they play music in their car while a customer is in the backseat.

The order even applies to the radio.

A case, based on one driver's refusal to pay, is likely to set a precedent 
for the 9,500 cab drivers in the country.

Under the ruling, a cab driver in Finland must pay £14 annually for playing 
music while transporting a fare.

Lauri Luotonen, chairman of the Helsinki Taxi Drivers' Association, says 
the ruling is likely to force most drivers to keep their radios off.

Recently, two Finnish churches refused to pay royalties to the country's 
copyright society for the performance of Christmas hymns. The congregations 
won their case in a district court, but the society has appealed.

Story filed: 17:43 Tuesday 3rd December 2002




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