Team Herald
MARGAO: In a decision likely to impact Goa's wedding tourism industry, the Centre has suspended its earlier order that had exempted wedding events from requiring music licences.
The latest notification, issued on November 7, places the Union Government’s earlier exemption from July 24, 2023, on hold pending the outcome of a Letter Patents Appeal before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
This move aligns with an August 2024 ruling from the Bombay High Court at Goa, which clarified that copyright exemptions under Section 52(1) (za) of the Indian Copyright Act apply only to genuine religious ceremonies.
The High Court explicitly ruled that social functions related to weddings do not qualify for these exemptions, thereby quashing a Goa government circular that had attempted to extend broader exemptions.
The development has raised significant concerns among stakeholders in Goa's tourism and entertainment industries, who fear it could affect the State's reputation as a top wedding destination.
Entertainment industry professionals are particularly concerned about the complexities of the licencing process, which requires dealing with multiple copyright societies. DJ Claudio Tellis, Vice President of the Goa Entertainment Association (GEA) North Goa, said, “The problem isn’t with the payment of licence fees, but with the exorbitant amounts being charged.”
Tellis further said that the blackmail and extortion have reached such an extent that Goa, which relies heavily on tourism and destination weddings, may suffer.
“The multiplicity of copyright companies like Novex and PPL only adds to the burden since each of these copyright societies collects licence fees individually. May be some standardisation would help here,” he said.
Dixon Vaz, a hotelier from Cavelossim, echoed his sentiments. “The government promotes destination weddings and we have to make it easier for clients. Or else this red tape will kill the business. We've seen a decline in the number of such events in Cavelossim compared to the previous years,” he said, pointing out that clientele may have moved to other destinations.
The suspension of the exemption will remain in force until a final ruling in the ongoing LPA case before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which challenges a Single Bench Order from May 19, 2022.
Legal experts in Goa suggest that the onus is now on the government to issue fresh guidelines that would provide clarity to hotels, musicians, and clients, particularly given Goa’s position as a major wedding tourism destination; and given the fact that there have been police cases filed and events disrupted in the past, due to the music licence issue.
“It’s important that people, bands and venue owners are made aware of the guidelines, as many a times, FIRs are registered in these licencing cases. This notification will cause problems for wedding organisers now,” said senior lawyer Antonio Clovis da Costa.