Association condemns karaoke bars’ use of unlicensed music

Ung Kuoc Iang

The Macau Association of Composers, Authors & Publishers (MACA) has condemned the unauthorized use of pop music works publicly broadcast and used for commercial operations without permission at karaoke bars.

In a press conference held earlier this week, the only non-profit-making, non-governmental collective management organization in Macau expressed disappointment upon discovering that Neway Karaoke Bar was using music arranged and produced by Ung Kuoc Iang.

As the CEO of the association, Ung pointed out that the two Neway companies violated his intellectual property rights, and condemned all such infringements.

He calls on all music users to obtain permission before using music not within the public domain to avoid potential criminal and/or civil penalties. Ung hopes that this incident will draw the attention of relevant departments, the karaoke industry, concert organizers and venues, and all music users to the importance of abiding by applicable copyright laws.

The two Neway companies submitted applications to MACA to obtain public performance music licenses many years ago but failed to pay the relevant license fees, operating without permission for an extended period.

MACA has filed criminal and civil proceedings with the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Subordinate Court.

Ung said that copyright laws serve as the cornerstone of protecting the rights and interests of music creators, and the legal acquisition and authorized use of musical works should be strictly observed by enterprises. He urged all karaoke operators to observe the governing laws and regulations and obtain the right to use musical works through legal means. Staff Reporter