2016-05-09
Since 2015, the user can acquire a collective license from MÜST (Music Copyright Society of Chinese Taipei), MCAT (Music Copyright Association of Taiwan) and TMCS (Music Copyright Intermediary Society of Taiwan) after making a one-off payment in the single window MÜST based on the joint royalty rate for public performance using karaoke machines whether it is for business or public interests.
Due to alleged financial and administrative contravention of MCAT, TIPO raised concern that MCAT was not competent to properly operate the business of collective management. Thus, recently TIPO has revoked MCAT’s registration approval and issued a dismissal order on February 24, 2016. Except for the licensing contracts entered before the dismissal order takes into effective, MCAT is no longer in part of the collection and distribution of joint royalty since February 25, 2016.
The joint royalty rate is adjusted since February 25, 2016 by TIPO:
1. NT$6,300 (pre-tax) per karaoke machine per year if the exploitation is for business;
2. NT$4,410 (pre-tax) per karaoke machine per year if the exploitation is for cultural, educational, or other purposes in the public interest; NT$2,205 (pre-tax) per karaoke machine per year if the exploitation is non-profit and for the purpose of public interests.
In terms of the licensing contracts entered before February 24, 2016, licenses issued by MÜST and TMCS remain unchanged. While MCAT is now in liquidation, it is entitled to the income of royalty derived from the contracts entered before that date and distributing to its members accordingly for the purpose of winding up. Users can choose to sustain the existing contracts till they expire. Until then performing publicly the copyrighted work managed by MCAT is still legal.
