Karaoke Forums

http://www.rfcexpress.com/lawsuits/trad ... c/summary/

This time it looks like all the defendants are venues. Going after the deeper pockets?


Defendant: TEQUILA MEXICO OF PENSACOLA INC
Defendant: MALIBU LOUNGE & PACKAGE STORE INC (Pensacola)
Defendant: BARBEQUE INTEGRATED INC (Smokey Bones in Orlando)
Defendant: TWO JOE'S INC (Sneaky Pete's in Bonita Springs)
Defendant: SOUTH STREET RESTAURANT GROUP INC (Naples)
Defendant: BONITA PAGE LLC (Stevie Tomato's Sports Page in Bonita Springs)
Defendant: LJR INVESTMENTS OF BRADENTON LLC (Tequila Beach in Bradenton)
Defendant: THE SALAD WERKS INC (Porky's Last Stand in Naples)
Defendant: JRMZ ENTERPRISES INC (Pott's Sports Cafe in Ft Myers)
Defendant: ROSELYN CRISSEY'S INC (Rosey Baby's Crawfish & Cajun House in Lauderhill)
Defendant: JACK'S BAIT SHACK INC (Naples)
Defendant: MARION DUBE INC (The Little Pub in Largo)
Defendant: HOELZER PROPERTIES INC (Grumpy's Ale House in Naples)
Defendant: BMOK LLC (Hot Shots Bar & Billiards in Sunrise)
Defendant: NAPLES EAST BEEFS INC (Beef O Brady's in Naples)
Defendant: BOBKATZ BAR & GRILL INC (Hudson)
Defendant: WHITE ANGUS OF TAMPA INC (Cornerstone Pub in Tampa)
Defendant: IL MIO SOGNO LLC (Mongello's in Naples)
Defendant: OASIS CAFE INC (Stuart)
Defendant: ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS INC (Jilly's in New Port Richey)
Defendant: ODELL'S PLACE LLC (Port Richey)


I think these bars are using KJ's who have been named in the prior suits. SC put the bars on notice.

Ability to control & Knowledge. Vicarious liablilty.

Venues don't pirate? No different than going after a kj.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

And I think you are probably correct, how long do you think it will take bars to stop using the pirate KJs once they find out they can be sued for using them as well?

Let's say that 80% of those bars decide to stop doing karaoke altogether and 20% of them decide that they will only use "certified" KJs, to me that means that the patron traffic will dramatically increase at the 20% that continue to do karaoke, there will be more venues for legal or "certified" KJs. With 80% or better of the KJs being pirate operators that means a lot of pirate KJs will be finding fewer and fewer places willing to hire them and the legal KJs will be finding more places to do shows and as demand for legal KJs goes up so does the money.

It is all a good thing!

just hoping it works that way. only time will tell, but i like the prospect

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

YES...Happy Dance...Happy Dance...Happy Dance...3 venues in our area. And yes all the venues in our area have been given notice and opportunity to indemnify themselves.....kinda sorry to see so few venues in our area hit in this round....awaiting next round.

I agree this is a good thing

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"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

Now the fight might get interesting. All these deep pockets could easily organise compared to the KJ's. 10 or more pitching in to have a lawyer work on this full time?

Yup, gonna get interesting now.

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Living my life as Robert Cortese, 162 E. Jackson St, San Jose CA.

It's like the difference between high and low budget toilet paper, it really doesn't matter in the end. -exweedfarmer

Which is smarter? Just sticking to making/selling karaoke, while people all over the world create software FOR FREE that helps you sell it, or trying to compete with them and keeping it a closed loop while you blow your money into an industry (software) that you(the karaoke manu) knows nothing about?
-me

From what I can find out every venue in Virginia that was filed against settled and I know that two of them were actively seeking "certified" KJs.

it will be interesting to see how many of these venues simply stop karaoke altogether....

Are venues being named in suits given the same settlement opportunity as the pirate KJ's?

If venues named in lawsuits are given the opportunity to buy the GEM series and/or the CB SD set won't they just go back to doing karaoke and then hire a house DJ/KJ making minimum wage to run their show?

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My statements, opinions and conclusions are based on my own personal experiences, observations, research and/or just my own $.02. I'm not a "cheerleader", but that doesn't make me a Pirate.

I agree with Chip. It will be interesting to see how many give up.

It will also be interesting to see (more so, in my opinion) how many fight.

The venues may fight because they have more $$.

If they give up karaoke altogether, would they still fight the suit or settle?

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Never the same show twice!

you're right, they should just be left alone and have valuable singers supporting pirates.

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

To my understanding NO they are not given the same option to settle and just purchase the series .I think the cost to venues is MUCH higher and they have to agree to only use compliant hosts as part of the venue settlement

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

SO, there's where I have trouble predicting whether the venue that settles will continue doing karaoke. Specifically if there are no compliant KJ's available to them.

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Never the same show twice!

and if i remember correctly, CB said that when they file, they will not be taking settlements.
lip service until it is done, i know, but making a public statement like that is a step better than was done in the past.

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

I hope that SC makes the settlement cost have at least 7 digits to make a big impact. I am glad we are in a SC "hot spot" and hope the suits keep rollin in

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

It is my understanding (and I may be incorrect) that the suits against the venues start with a settlement of $5000 and an agreement to only hire certified host. If there are no or not enough certified host in the area to cover the venue then they simply do without karaoke until such time a certified host is available. I assume as with the KJs the settlement cost go up according to the amount of time passing between the filing and the settlement, the more time spent by the attorney(s) for the manu the higher the settlement cost become.

well I wish it were 100,000 or more as a minimum settlement for venues....thats an amount that would get attention....not sure 5,000 will

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

I believe it goes up substanially after the first offer to settle is turned down.

But either way $5000 isn't sneeze money for a bar (a good days profit) if they face higher sanctions for a second violation (and they do). The way I look at it is that it forces the pirates either out of the area or out of business either way is OK with me.

I have personally had two contacts from venues in the Richmond area who settled and were looking for certified KJs, one was on a night I couldn't cover and the other didn't want to meet the pay level I was seeking. I believe either Parker or the Shanners got one of them.

This is why I think educating your singers is as important as educating the venues.......thats why our first page on our books is dedicated to the effort. I believe most people want to do the right thing call me a hopeless Pollyanna if you wish

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

Sure, and if they stop altogether, there won't even be a place for ANY KJ.... including "certified" ones.

It's appears to me that SC isn't getting the response they expected with the first suits and in order to "step up pressure" for settlements, is simply making a point that if the KJ doesn't settle with them, they will have them fired by suing the club.

Being named in a lawsuit for any form of entertainment in your club really isn't an incentive to keep it around.

So SC simply "poisons the well" as it were. They don't care but none of the "certified, legal" ones have figured that out yet.