Rodman’s Restaurant Sued Over Music Fees

A Newport Beach restaurant owned by former professional basketball star Dennis Rodman has been sued for allegedly playing copyrighted music without permission.

Rodman’s, formerly called Josh Slocum’s, was among 24 restaurants in 15 states -- but the only one in California -- named in the suit, filed in New York by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

ASCAP requires commercial establishments to pay fees for the use of any of its 8 million copyrighted songs and compositions, whether performed live, piped in from radio stations or played from jukeboxes.

“We make every effort to educate business owners concerning their music licensing responsibilities,” ASCAP Senior Vice President of Licensing Vincent Candilora said in a statement.

A representative of Rodman’s said Wednesday she was unaware of the lawsuit.

ASCAP represents about 200,000 songwriters and composers who are paid royalties. The agency and Broadcast Music Inc. hold the licensing rights to the majority of popular songs.

It is the responsibility of a commercial establishment, instead of DJs, karaoke companies or performers, to acquire permission to use the songs, agency officials said. The fee is determined by several factors, including type and size of the business and how the music is used.