THE VILLAGE of Pohorelá will not need to pay an invoice of €62 to the SOZA copyright protection organisation for performances of folk songs sung by a children’s assembly at a Mother’s Day event this year and at a St Nicholas’ Day event last year on December 6, Katarína Tomandlová, the marketing manager of SOZA, told the TASR newswire on June 11.
“The SOZA Committee chairman approached the mayor of Pohorelá, who explained ... that [he believed] that the pieces performed at the events were not subject to copyright protection, and SOZA accepted this explanation,” Tomandlová said.
She added that both parties have agreed to take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Culture Minister Marek Maďarič had announced that the Culture Ministry plans to table an amendment to the Copyright Act that will allow organisers of public events to prove retroactively that no material subject to copyright was used publicly – even if no prior notice was given.
“SOZA abused a loophole in the law, according to which it did not have to inquire as to what content was displayed or played in an event when the organisers failed to give prior notice,” Maďarič stated, as quoted by TASR.
