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17 January 2020CopyrightRory O'Neill

Spotify and Warner Chappell end Indian licensing battle

Spotify and Warner Chappell Music (WCM) have come to an agreement in their nearly year-long copyright licensing dispute in India.

The two parties had been locked in proceedings at the Bombay High Court over Spotify’s right to make WCM’s catalogue available to Indian customers.

The licensing deal will finally grant Spotify permission to stream WCM’s library of music, which includes work by artists such as Katy Perry, Kendrick Lamar and Radiohead.

"This new deal appropriately values our songwriters' music and expands our licensed partnership with Spotify to include India,” said a WCM spokesperson.

Financial terms of the settlement have not been made public.

Spotify launched in India last February despite a copyright challenge from WCM.

WCM had looked to block the streaming service from using its music in India, while Spotify accused the label of “arbitrary, discriminatory and anti-competitive” behaviour in licensing negotiations.

"We're pleased with this agreement, and together with Warner Chappell Music, we look forward to helping songwriters and artists connect with more fans, and for more fans to enjoy and be inspired by their music,” a Spotify spokesperson said.

Both parties have now agreed to withdraw all pending litigation in India.

Spotify had previously applied to the Bombay court for a statutory licence to stream WCM’s music to its customers on the grounds that the label’s proposed terms were uncompetitive.

Both sides claimed victory after the court ordered Spotify to deposit 6.5 crores ($914,000) with the court as an advance royalty.

Spotify was subsequently able to make WCM’s roster of artists available to its customers, but was instructed to keep a record of all resulting streams and revenues.

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