Arlington Venue Among 11 Businesses Facing Music Copyright Lawsuits

ARLINGTON, VA — Clarendon Ballroom is among 11 businesses nationwide facing copyright infringement lawsuits filed by a music licensing organization that claims the establishments repeatedly played copyrighted songs without permission.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, known as ASCAP, said Tuesday that it filed separate lawsuits against the Arlington nightclub and 10 other establishments, including Vera Cocina in Washington, D.C., and The Point Towson in Maryland.

ASCAP claims the businesses continued playing copyrighted music for customers despite repeated attempts to educate their owners about federal copyright laws and opportunities to obtain the required licenses.

The organization did not identify the specific songs allegedly played at Clarendon Ballroom, when the violations occurred or how much money it is seeking in damages.

ASCAP represents more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers and music publishers. It collects licensing fees from businesses that publicly perform copyrighted music and distributes royalties to the copyright holders.

Under federal copyright law, bars, restaurants and other businesses generally must obtain permission to publicly perform copyrighted songs. ASCAP offers blanket licenses that allow establishments to play music from its catalog of more than 20 million works.

The organization said the average licensing cost for bars and restaurants is less than $2 per day.

"Owners of small businesses know that an ASCAP blanket license allows them to offer music legally, efficiently and at a reasonable price – while compensating music creators fairly," ASCAP President Paul Williams said in a statement.

Stephanie Ruyle, ASCAP's executive vice president and head of licensing, said the organization repeatedly contacted the businesses before pursuing legal action.

"Each of the establishments sued today has chosen to infringe upon the hard work of songwriters instead of licensing the music they play, despite repeated notifications and opportunities to do so," Ruyle said.

The lawsuits are part of ASCAP's efforts to enforce music licensing requirements at entertainment venues nationwide.

The allegations against Clarendon Ballroom have not been proven in court.