IMRO seeks High Court injunction over Forest Fest music licence

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Irish Music Rights Organisation Company Ltd (IMRO) brought High Court proceedings against Forest Fest organisers over an alleged failure to obtain a licence for copyrighted music at the festival.

IMRO brought the action against Philip Meagher and ForrestFest Limited. It said Mr Meagher, a practising solicitor, was a director and owner of the company. The festival was due to take place in Emo, Co Laois, from 19 to 21 July 2024.

IMRO alleged that several dozen works whose copyright it held on behalf of members would be played at the event without the required licence. It sought an injunction restraining the defendants and anyone with notice of the order from performing, playing or broadcasting works to which IMRO said it owned the copyright.

IMRO estimated that the organisers owed it €193,000 in royalties for the 2022, 2023 and pending 2024 events. The court heard that no licence agreement or undertaking not to play the copyrighted material had been entered into.

On 12 June 2024, Mr Justice Mark Sanfey granted IMRO permission to have the injunction application listed before the High Court the following week. The application that day was made on an ex parte basis. The judge noted that IMRO had not taken similar court steps before the 2022 and 2023 events and said both sides should ensure the injunction application was heard well before the festival.

This case may have concluded differently. The outcome has not yet been confirmed by a public source we could find.