# Hotels must pay copyright royalty for music in rooms: Calcutta High Court 2026-08-08T07:57:15+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Calcutta High Court has ruled that hotels cannot escape paying copyright royalties for music played through cable TV in guest rooms, even if the cable operator already holds a licence. A Bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi held on August 4 that providing cable TV in hotel rooms is a commercial amenity amounting to 'communication to the public' under the Copyright Act. The Court allowed an appeal by the Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) against Hotel Appolo & Tours Private Limited. It rejected the hotel's argument that it had already paid the cable operator, stating that hotel guests are not 'subscribers' under cable TV regulations. The Court noted that even if the hotel does not charge separately for TV, the service adds commercial value to its business. ## Coverage - barandbench.com Tags: cable TV, Calcutta High Court, copyright, hotels, IPRS, royalty Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/hotels-must-pay-copyright-royalty-for-music-in-rooms-calcutta-high-court/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/hotels-must-pay-copyright-royalty-for-music-in-rooms-calcutta-high-court/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.