UK businesses regularly receive licensing demands from copyright collecting societies. Paying without checking or ignoring the letter can both be expensive mistakes. ProHearings reviews the demand, helps identify whether a licence and tariff appear to apply, and prepares a reasoned response for your approval at a fixed fee.
PPL reported £315.3 million in revenue in 2025 and says public-performance licensing covers hundreds of thousands of UK venues. Music, copying and screen-content licensing can affect pubs, gyms, salons, shops, restaurants, hotels, offices, schools and other organisations. Whether a licence is required, and which tariff applies, depends on the actual use.
Most business owners are not copyright specialists. When a demand arrives from a collecting society, it can be difficult to know whether the licence is genuinely required, whether the tariff applied is correct, or whether the backdated fees being claimed are reasonable.
The collecting society has applied a tariff that does not match how music is actually used on the premises. Background music in a small office is not the same as a nightclub with a DJ, but the demand letter may not reflect the difference.
A letter arrives claiming licence fees for multiple years of alleged unlicensed use. The amounts can run into thousands of pounds. Many businesses pay out of fear without checking whether the claim is accurate or the calculation correct.
Some businesses receive demands when they do not actually require a licence. If music is only played through personal headphones, or the business has switched to royalty-free music, or the premises do not fall within the relevant category, the demand may be wrong entirely.
PPL and PRS are separate organisations with separate tariffs. Some businesses pay for licences they do not need alongside ones they do. A licensing audit can identify what is actually required and what is not.
The Copyright Tribunal can determine specified disputes about licensing schemes and proposed licence terms. In most cases the application fee is £50, but jurisdiction and procedure should be checked before any application is prepared.
We review the demand letter, check whether a licence is required for your business activities, and draft a reasoned response.
Where a licence appears necessary but the tariff may be wrong, we prepare the challenge and support negotiations about the category, usage or backdated period.
Where negotiation fails and the Tribunal may have jurisdiction, we can prepare materials for your review and self-submission. This service does not include ProHearings filing proceedings or conducting litigation.
Before a demand arrives. We audit what licences your business actually needs, identify any you are paying for unnecessarily, and make sure you are on the correct tariff.
The Copyright Tribunal was established under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to resolve commercial licensing disputes between collecting societies and businesses. It has the power to confirm or vary licensing schemes and to declare that a business is entitled to a licence on terms the Tribunal considers reasonable.
Proceedings are started by filing an application form, statement of grounds and the relevant fee. GOV.UK states that the fee is £50 in most cases. The party remains responsible for deciding whether to apply and for submitting its own application unless an appropriately authorised provider is instructed.
Rule 6 permits representation by an authorised person, specified lawyers from Scotland or Northern Ireland, or another person the Tribunal allows to appear. Permission for a non-lawyer is not automatic. The Tribunal's current GOV.UK listings include a substantial hearing in 2026, so businesses should treat the process as specialist litigation rather than a low-risk administrative complaint.
PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited), PRS for Music, the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), and MPLC (Motion Picture Licensing Company). If you have received a demand from any collecting society relating to copyright licensing, we can review it.
Possibly. If you are paying an incorrect tariff, the licence terms can be challenged going forward. Whether a refund applies depends on the circumstances. We can review your current licence and advise on the options.
Ignoring a demand does not resolve it. Certain music tariffs permit a higher first-year rate or surcharge where music was used without the appropriate licence. A prompt, reasoned response is usually safer than silence.
No. ProHearings is not a firm of solicitors. We provide practical document and negotiation support. We do not file Copyright Tribunal proceedings or conduct litigation. Rule 6 allows the Tribunal to permit another person to appear, but permission is case-specific and is not guaranteed.
If employees or customers can hear copyrighted music on your premises, generally yes. But the correct tariff depends on the size, type of premises and how music is used. Many small businesses are on the wrong tariff or paying for licences they do not need. A licensing audit can clarify what is actually required.
Pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels, gyms, salons, retail shops, offices, schools, churches, and any business that has received a licensing demand or wants to check whether its current licences are correct.
Every service is priced upfront. No hourly rates, no percentage of the amount in dispute, no hidden charges. You know the cost before we start.
We set out the position and your options. You decide how to respond, whether to negotiate, and whether to take the matter to the Copyright Tribunal. All strategic decisions are yours.