Neway was involved in music copyright infringement, and the customs arrived at the scene to investigate and handle

(Macau, 20 February 2024) –Macau renowned composer, arranger and music producer Ung Kuoc Iang and others visited Neway (4th Floor, Regal Hotel, No. 70-106 Avenida Dr. Rodriji, Macau) and Neway (26-28 Avenida Bilshida, Macau) on 20 February and found that their the pop music works were publicly broadcast and used for commercial operations without permission, including but not limited to "DNA Error", " Friends and Family", "Black and White Photos", "Opening Ceremony" and other musical works. Therefore, he reported to the Macao Customs on the spot to expose Neway's suspected music copyright infringement. Customs officers immediately arrived at the scene to investigate and handle.

The informant, Ung Kuoc Iang, The Chief Executive Officer of the Macau Association of Composers, Authors & Publishers (MACA), the only non-profit-making non-governmental collective management organization in Macau that is currently enforcing the rights granted by the Macao Copyright Law, issues music public performance licenses to music users in Macao on behalf of music creators of Macau and overseas societies that have signed reciprocal agreements with MACA, and collects music public performance royalties for their members and members of overseas societies, so that music creators can obtain reasonable royalty income and facilitate the music copyright licensing process for music users. He also pointed out that the actions of the two Neway companies have infringed on their property rights, and he rejected all infringements. So he called on all music users to obtain legal authorization before using music, otherwise those music users may be involved in criminal and/or civil liability.

In recent years, with the rise and development of the creative industry, mainland China and Macau have placed increasing emphasis on the protection of copyright and intellectual property. The work of the Macau Association of Composers and Authors (MACA) has also received support from various Macau government departments, particularly including the Macao Government Tourism Office, Macao Customs Service, and Macao Municipal Affairs Bureau . The reporting party hopes that through this incident, greater awareness and importance can be instilled in the karaoke industry, concert organizers and venues, as well as all music users regarding music copyright. Mr. Ung hopes that this incident will arouse the attention of related department, the karaoke industry, concert organizers and venues, and all music users to music copyright.

According to Article 2, Paragraph 1 (e), Articles 55 to 56 and 60 to 61 of the "Regime of Copyright and Related Rights" of Macao, the use of other's musical work for public performance must be subject to prior permission from that person, otherwise it constitutes an infringement and is involved in criminal and/or civil liability. The abovementioned two Neway companies have submitted applications to MACA for music public performance licenses many years ago, but he have not paid the relevant license fees and have been operating under infringing conditions for many years.

In response to the above-mentioned infringements, MACA has filed criminal and civil proceedings with the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Subordinate Court through judicial proceedings. Mr. Ung said that music copyright is the cornerstone of protecting the rights and interests of music creators, and the legal acquisition and use of music works is a regulation that enterprises should strictly abide by. Therefore, Mr. Ung calls on all karaoke operators to strictly abide by the relevant laws and regulations and obtain the right to use musical works in legal ways.

Caption: Music creator reports Neway for music copyright infringement