Jul. 31--The owner of a Midtown Tucson bar is one of 26 bar and restaurant proprietors across the nation who had copyright infringement lawsuits filed against them in federal court Monday.
Michael Cesario, the owner of the Salty Dawg II, 6121 E. Broadway, could be hit with up to $210,000 in fines for providing karaoke fans with musical compositions without the permission of the copyright owners, said Phoenix attorney Peter J. Rathwell.
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers informed Cesario numerous times about U.S. copyright laws, but he continued to allow the music to be performed and never sought to obtain a license agreement, the lawsuit states.
Federal copyright law violators can be fined anywhere from $750 per count up to $30,000 per count, Rathwell said. Cesario is accused of violating the statute seven times.
Cesario denied ever being contacted about copyright infringement, but declined to comment further.
Among the songs performed without permission were "The Heart of Rock and Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News, "Lady" by Lionel Richie and "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak, according to the lawsuit.
Among those named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit are EMI Virgin Music Inc., Isaak Music Publishing Co., Sony/ ATV Tunes LLC and Universal-Polygram International Publishing Inc.
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