Sally’s Saloon Faces Copyright Lawsuit

Sally’s Saloon & Eatery may have played the wrong tune. A group of plaintiffs including, Bon Jovi and Gwen Stefani, filed a federal lawsuit against the popular stadium village sports bar.

The lawsuit claims Sally’s played three copyrighted songs without the proper licenses. “Thunderstruck” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” were allegedly played on March 14, 2007 and “The Sweet Escape” was played on February 18, 2009.

It’s not clear whether Sally’s is accused of playing the songs, hosting a band that covered the songs or if someone sang the songs during karaoke. According to Twin Cities Entertainment Attorney, Ken Abdo, who sang the songs does not matter, the venue is responsible for the licensing.

“Just like illegal downloading people just have to understand these are the products artists create and they need to be protected. Otherwise we will not encourage people to go into the arts and we will have worse art,” says Abdo.

Abdo is a Vice President of the Lommen Abdo Law Firm and Co-Chair of the Entertainment Law Department. He is not familiar with the lawsuit against Sally’s but has seen many others similar to it. Abdo says the same companies who grant Public Performance Licenses to business are also responsible for policing them. Abdo says the music licenses must be granted in order to protect the artists and writers. The lawsuit against Sally’s could result in fines as high as $90,000.

“The public is often mislead by thinking these are greedy companies that are pounding on the little people to get money. that's really not the case, it's really like if someone created something outside of the music business and someone else tried to steal it, it's that simple without paying for it,” says Abdo.