Brain forces radio station with streaming music on demand offline

Stichting Brein has forced the GBC Radio radio service through the courts to stop its activities on the basis of a penalty of two thousand euros per day. The station offered the opportunity to request tracks that were then played streaming via the Cozy Chats site.

GBC Radio received revenue from its service, but did not have the required music license to broadcast copyrighted material, Brein reports. With a judicial ex-parte injunction, the channel is forced to go offline. If the station did not comply with the order, GBC Radio would have to pay two thousand euros per day with a maximum of fifty thousand euros. Brein did not order the channel to stop first, because it would be a ‘large-scale copyright infringement that cannot be explained properly’ and an ex-parte order would work better.

“It’s great if people have this as a hobby and you buy a license for a few tens, then you are legal,” says Brein director Tim Kuik about the promotion. GBC Radio continuously broadcast a selection from its range, supplemented with songs requested by the listeners. This request was made via the chat box on Cozy Chat. On that site is now the message that the radio station has stopped, but is coming back with a license.