BET Reaches Music Copyright Class Action Settlement

Potentially hundreds of people who own the rights to musical compositions and sound recordings used on the Black Entertainment Channel (BET) will be able to share in a $2.75 million class action lawsuit settlement for having their musical works used on BET without their permission.

The BET settlement will resolve a class action lawsuit, entitled The Music Force v. BET, that alleges BET violated the copyrights of certain owners of musical compositions or sound recordings who had their works, or portions of their works, embodied without authorization in television shows produced, distributed, and/or aired by one of the networks owned and controlled by BET, including, without limitation, BET Impressions, Jazz Visions, Jazz Moods, Lifted, and Jazz Channel-Mike’s Word.

Under the BET class action settlement, BET will pay class members a portion of the $2.75 million settlement fund on a pro rata basis based on the total claims received. There are two settlement classes involved in the BET settlement:

(1.) The Musical Composition Class includes all Persons who are current Legal Owners of a musical composition or portion thereof that: (i) without license or authorization, was copied, reproduced, synchronized, displayed, performed, broadcast, telecast, cablecast, syndicated, exhibited, transmitted, disseminated, distributed or otherwise used in connection with or as part of any television series, episode, program, music video, performance, advertisement, promotion, commercial, or other exploitation in any manner in any medium anywhere between January 14, 2003 and February 3, 2011, whether now known or hereafter devised by or under the authority of BET LLC; and (ii) is not exclusively administered by an Excluded Person.

(2.) The Sound Recording Class includes all Persons who are current Legal Owners of a sound recording or portion thereof that: (i) without license or authorization, was copied, reproduced, synchronized, displayed, performed, broadcast, telecast, cablecast, syndicated, exhibited, transmitted, disseminated, distributed or otherwise used in connection with or as part of any television series, episode, program, music video, performance, advertisement, promotion, commercial, or other exploitation in any manner in any medium anywhere between January 14, 2003 and February 3, 2011, whether now known or hereafter devised by or under the authority of BET LLC; and (ii) is not exclusively licensed to an Excluded Person.

If you wish to remain in the BET class action settlement, you must file a Proof of Claim no later than October 19, 2011. If you wish to exclude yourself and retain your right to sue individually, you have until June 6, 2011.

More information on your rights in the Music Force v. BET Class Action Lawsuit Settlement, including claim forms and exclusion request forms, can be found at MFCClassSettlement.com.