Karaoke Forums

This thread is here to provide a CONSTRUCTIVE avenue to explore and propose altering the SoundChoice help license to make it more attractive and useful to a wider range of KJ's.
This is just like the previous CB registration thread that resulted in a decent compromise between all parties. Thank you for your understanding.


Proposed changes to SoundChoice HELP registration protocols:

Soundchoice Based Karaoke Hosts

Under 60 shows per year average, single system: $30.00 per month
Under 120 shows per year average, up to 2 systems: $60.00 per month.
(Both systems counted as ONE therefore 120 gigs total with both systems.)
Over 120 shows per year (Full time kj), Full HELP license applies.
Said trademark provision is for RED label Soundchoice product only.
As with the original HELP license, this covers ALL RED SC product.

NON SOUNDCHOICE BASED KARAOKE HOSTS
SOUNDCHOICE LIMITED HELP LICENSE
Soundchoice Limited HELP licensing shall be available for non soundchoice based karaoke Hosts permitting the use of a limited number of RED label SoundChoice titles.
The limit shall be equivalent to 12 original SoundChoice disks or 144 individual SC RED trademarked files media shifted to ONE primary system.
An Additional license is required for additional systems.

A disk or song list must be provided at the time of registration or renewal.
A SoundChoice song list must be properly publicly displayed or available online.
A SoundChoice song list must be publicly available at any venue during your event.
The annual fee for the Limited License shall be $50.00 per system per year.
The Licensee agrees to permit a properly Identified SoundChoice representative
to view the soundchoice content on their in-show system against the in venue
posted list at the time of the event.
In the event of a violation, the Soundchoice representative may issue a fine on the spot
per title. In the event of a MAJOR violation or excessive title count, the SC rep may issue a retroactive pro-rated monthly fine and replace the Limited Help license with a FULL monthly HELP license. These fines and penalties shall be registered through the PEP Violation website and paid directly through the site (not to the rep).

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This proposal makes the HELP licensing more attractive to smaller KJ's. It promotes responsibility among the community. It allows for on the spot penalty for violation without
court involvement and costs.
It provides the ability to automatically enter the KJ into the registered public database for venue verification of compliance.


ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT
Hosts that are "reported" as potentially illegal or pirate should be posted on a public page someplace as "Reported as Currently UNVERIFIED soundchoice product users"
This way they are not defamed directly and have the opportunity to correct the situation by simply enlisting in the program or contacting the PEP violations email.
The license should include permission for a PEP supplied digital SoundChoice artwork that may be displayed by the registered Host thereby not violating trademark in another way.

I trust you will find these proposed changes will enhance usage of the RED SC brand rather than continue to degrade it eventually forcing it's cumbersome obsolescence.

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In Closing:
PEP owns the trademark and they can make as big a mess as they want within reason.
That is their right, moral or not. They can either make it reasonable or we can simply not continue to support the product in question. As time passes the red series are slowly getting replaced or people are simply forgetting the songs or never knew them anyway.
The limited license is for those with few required SC tracks who have already switched their primary brands to another but would like some of those old tunes for their hosting performance or old clients.
I agree that if you own original disks you shouldn't have to deal with this at all, BUT with so many illegal copies floating around, making compliance attractive makes more sense than auditing known large disk collection hosts. It adds the option to use older SC product rather than eliminating it.
The number or individual tracks or disks in the limited license was given as a reference based on my personal perception and will probably need to be adjusted.

Cheers All

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Purple Frog Karaoke Cuz we all feel odd and love to "croak"

I wish PEP had an option like with Chartbuster were I could register my SC discs for a one time fee of $50.00. I own 16 Sound Choice discs and would love to use them from my computer. But I'm not going to pay $250 to be able to use them. Playing from the disc is not an option. So they sit and go unused. I understand it's not PEP's problem as they have been clear enough for me to understand their terms of use.

I had hoped that the Chartbuster registration option would prove successful enough that they would consider it for SC maybe based on a limited number of discs.

Have you tried contacting PEP about your 16 Sound Choice discs? I bet they would
work something out with you. You have nothing to loose by giving them a call or shooting
them an email.

I did try a couple of months ago. Unfortunately they couldn't help me.

We are considering an unaudited registration option for SC, but we have to work out all of the legalities and make certain that we aren't harming our ability to enforce the trademarks, before we can implement it. I do think it's a good idea, and I think the mood at PEP is supportive of the concept in theory, but we need to make sure we avoid unintended consequences.

Thanks Jim for considering our request and possibly a variant of my proposal.
I love to use my headbangers without the hassle of making a show of it every time I need to use a disk. Kinda like a bad monty python episode..

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Purple Frog Karaoke Cuz we all feel odd and love to "croak"

I would be interested in this, with my limited SC collection.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I admit that my knowledge of this specific situation is limited, but I just cannot recall an instance of any company, particularly in the audiovisual works genre, that has attempted to license material claimed to be illegal; so much so, that they are actively suing entities on that premise. Can anyone else recall a precedent in this vein?

How about when Universal Music Publishing sued Digitrax?

Or pretty much any intellectual property lawsuit that ends with a license being issued (which is somewhere around 60% of cases across patent, trademark, and copyright).

If you think this is rare, you haven't been paying attention.

Re-vamping the system to include smaller users is an excellent idea! Hopefully you can make it work.

Of course, this should only be an option for original disks. The HELP license should be an all or nothing deal.

Wow... I've seen you spew crap before but this one takes the cake ... counsel...

Rather than point to Universal suing Digitrax, how about all the publishers that have sued makers of the "Sound choice" brand of audio-visual works which would include the now defunct Slep-tone Entertainment and even your own firm, Phoenix Entertainment Partners?

Oh, that's right.... you're an "officer" in PEP aren't you?

Didn't the 2.5 year lawsuit -- that ultimately included your firm as a defendant -- end up with a heft settlement check and a "license" issued?

Of course it did....

You purposely skipped over that which is not surprising....

(Regarding "paying attention", I believed I acknowledged a potential limited amount of knowledge in prefacing my question...)

I apologize for any vagueness that may have resulted in a misinterpretation of the question. I placed an assumption that it was understood that the question was in regards to the subject of the thread, the HELP program.

That being said, allow me to clarify: I am just not aware of specific incidents in the audiovisual works genre where a company sued for illegally made materials, and in the same breath was allowed to license those same materials, which, IMO, represents them as their own, gaining income from their perceived legitimized use...

Has there been any movement on this or have I missed it. Thanks

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Purple Frog Karaoke Cuz we all feel odd and love to "croak"