A fan in the stands posts a live video to Facebook during a game tagging the event and team. A team plays a newly released fight song from the radio during a rally. A sports reporter interviews a player in the locker room while music is playing in the background. What do these events have in common?
Every one of these situations could put your organization on the receiving end of a copyright infringement claim.
In order to protect yourself, consider the purchase of a media liability insurance policy. A media liability policy aims to provide coverage for claims that arise out of any multimedia, Internet and/or production-related activities, including defamation, invasion of privacy, emotional distress, copyright/trademark infringement and misappropriation, to name a few. Thus, a media liability policy may afford some protection against these music copyright claims.
Protecting Against Infringement
Even a broad-based media policy to protect your organization’s activities cannot protect against every instance of infringement. Further, some insurance carriers have begun to add music copyright license exclusions to their media liability policies. With coverage, there is some level of protection. Without it, the organization is on its own when a claim or lawsuit hits.
Media Liability Protection
The key to protecting against media copyright infringement is to understand where your exposures are and how to reduce the risks. Working with a broker who understands both the sports industry and music copyright exposures your organization may face will ensure you have the appropriate coverage. Through employing best practices and putting the right coverage in place, your business can safely upload music well into the future.
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