By MARK PERE MADRONA
A group of music industry stakeholders are appealing to candidates to obtain the necessary permits before using local or foreign songs in their campaign activities, warning that they can be held liable for violating the country’s existing copyright law.
Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (FILSCAP) president Noel Cabangon said in a phone interview that candidates and political parties must seek the permission of the musical works’ copyright owners like composers and publishers.
“If they (the candidates) don’t have the license from the copyright owners and yet they use the songs, they can be sued for copyright infringement,” Cabangon said. The licensing fee, if any, will be determined by the copyright owners and the candidates during their negotiations, he said.