RMLC To Appeal Preliminary Jurisdictional Recommendation In
Antitrust Litigation Against GMR
For Immediate Release
November 30, 2017. Nashville, TN. In November 2016, the RMLC filed an antitrust lawsuit in federal court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania against GMR, a for-profit music licensing organization, based on GMR’s attempt to force commercial radio stations to pay historically high-priced music performance licenses which the RMLC believed to be anticompetitive in nature. GMR filed a motion asserting that the Pennsylvania court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case because GMR supposedly has no meaningful contacts with Pennsylvania.
On Wednesday, November 29, 2017, a United States Magistrate Judge preliminary accepted GMR’s argument, recommended that the presiding District Judge dismiss RMLC’s case and encouraged RMLC to re-file its case in federal court in California, where a related case is pending.
Although RMLC is disappointed in the preliminary ruling, that ruling is not a final decision as to whether RMLC can prosecute its case in Pennsylvania, and it does not address the merits of RMLC’s antitrust claims in any way. The preliminary ruling simply addresses the geographic location of the court where RMLC’s claims should be heard.
RMLC maintains that its case is properly before a Pennsylvania court and intends to appeal the preliminary jurisdictional ruling to the presiding District Judge who will make a final decision.
Regardless which court ultimately presides over RMLC’s claims, RMLC is committed to its mission to protect the interests of all its member stations against GMR’s anticompetitive abuse.
About the RMLC
The RMLC is a non-profit corporation that represents the vast majority of commercial radio stations (some 10,000) with respect to music licensing matters involving performing right organizations such as ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. For additional information, visit
http://www.radiomlc.org
.
Contact
Bill Velez, RMLC Executive Director
(615) 844-6260
