The President of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland said yesterday it was on the brink on an agreement with the Irish Music Rights Organisation about royalty payments for music played in pubs. The long-running dispute involves more than 900 court cases brought by IMRO against VFI members. The chairman of IMRO, Mr Brendan Graham, said yesterday the VFI, which represents about 6,000 publicans outside Dublin, was now the only major group with which they had been unable to agree a tariff. Mr Graham accused the VFI executive of "doggedly and cynically" trying to exploit every avenue to avoid paying royalties to the song-writers whose music they were using.
The president of the VFI, Mr Paul O'Grady, said Mr Graham's language was "most unhelpful" when negotiations were in progress "even up to yesterday morning". Mr O'Grady said he had been elected VFI president on a platform which included reaching an equitable deal with IMRO. He had no doubt, Mr O'Grady added, that IMRO had the law on its side, although it would have to strike a realistic tariff.
Mr Graham said IMRO's pursuit of royalty payments from VFI members through the courts and collection agencies had cost £361,293 in 1996 or 14.7 per cent of net operating expenses. IMRO would be "implacable" in its determination to pursue "every single evasion of royalty payment", Mr Graham added.
The VFI in turn has two court actions pending against IMRO. The only beneficiaries of this litigation are lawyers, Mr O'Grady said.