Bird & Bird assisted MTV Oy in a major copyright dispute
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Finland
As a partner in our Helsinki office and head of our Competition & EU Law group in Finland, I specialise in complex competition and corporate matters.
Partner
Finland
I am a highly reputed lawyer within corporate mergers and acquisitions, private equity, banking and financial services, and competition and EU law, with over 25 years' experience.
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International law firm Bird & Bird acted as legal advisor to MTV Oy in a copyright dispute, where the Finnish Composers’ Copyright Society Teosto ry demanded that MTV Oy should pay the copyright fees according to Teosto’s price list for its paid content, despite the Market Court’s judgment in 2019.
The Market Court already stated in 2019 that Teosto’s price list for paid content was unreasonable and lowered the fees payable by MTV to a reasonable level, which MTV has also followed in its payments. Despite this decision, Teosto has upheld the previously confirmed price list by the Market Court as unreasonable and, in February 2022, initiated a new Market Court process against MTV, demanding to have its price list reconfirmed as reasonable.
The Market Court dismissed part of Teosto’s claims (and previously resolved) and rejected the action in other respects. In addition, Teosto was ordered to pay MTV’s legal costs.
MTV’s General Counsel Leia Ahlström comments: “We are pleased with the Market Court’s decision, which confirms MTV’s right to reasonable copyright fees. The Bird & Bird team has demonstrated very strong expertise in this demanding and long-lasting process. We appreciate the close and smooth cooperation with them and the fair outcome.”
Bird & Bird’s main responsible partner Katia Duncker continues: “We are very proud to have represented MTV in this significant and precedent-setting copyright dispute. We have seen how MTV has been a pioneer in producing and distributing digital content in Finland and how important it is that its copyright fees are reasonable and fair. We are happy that the Market Court has recognized this and given MTV a fair and clear solution. We want to thank MTV for their trust and excellent cooperation.”