The Court of Appeal has confirmed a decision by the First Court ordering One Productions Ltd (formerly Rainbow Productions Ltd) to pay the Performing Right Society Ltd (TPRSL) almost €51,000 for breach of copyright and royalties.

TPRSL, represented in Malta by Dingli Co International Ltd, filed its action against One Productions in 1998. The plaintiff company claimed that Super One Radio, owned by One Productions, had, with effect from 1994, broadcast music which was covered by copyright without the requisite authorisation.

Plaintiff company claimed that the artists it represented had suffered damages consisting in non payment of the royalties to which they were entitled.

In July 2010 the First Hall of the Civil Court found in favour of TPRSL and ruled that One Productions was in breach of copyright and owed plaintiff company EUR50,960 in damages.

One Productions appealed to the Court of Appeal which, in February 2014 reduced the damages payable to TPRSL to €7,000.

The plaintiff company filed for a retrial of the appeal case before the Court of Appeal composed of Judges Giannino Caruana Demajo, Noel Cuschieri and Joseph Zammit McKeon.

In today's judgment the court ruled that the First Court's conclusions were correct as the damages of €50,960 were based on tariffs approved by the competent authorities and which had already been confirmed by previous local case law.

One Productions was therefore to pay €50,960 in damages.