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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA New York City-based company is suing a Jeffersonville bar in federal court for copyright infringement, accusing it of allowing protected songs to be performed without permission.
Broadcast Music Inc. says it has reached out to Dagger’z Bar and Grill more than 50 times since July 2025 to teach the bar and its managers “about their obligations under the Copyright Act with respect to the necessity of purchasing a license for the public performance of musical compositions in the BMI Repertoire,” according to the lawsuit.
“Included in the letters were Cease and Desist Notices, providing Defendants with formal notice that they must immediately cease all use of BMI-licensed music in the Establishment,” states the complaint, which was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
In addition to Dagger’z, the lawsuit names Watasha Haycraft and Richard Reynolds, who it identifies as managers there.
Representatives of Dagger’z did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment from The Indiana Lawyer.
A schedule in the lawsuit file lists three songs that Broadcast Music says are among the “many musical compositions” with copyrights infringed upon by the defendants.
The songs include “Don’t Take The Girl” by Craig M. Martin and Larry W. Johnson, “Goodbye Earl” by Dennis Linde and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putnam.
The complaint lists several other companies as plaintiffs, including Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. and Sony/ATV Songs LLC. The court document says those companies also own copyrights of songs.
The plaintiffs want any copyright infringement to stop, and they want the defendants to pay statutory damages and other costs.
The case is Broadcast Music Inc. et al v. Dagger’z Bar and Grill LLC, Watasha Haycraft and Richard Reynolds, 4:260cv-00265-TWP-KMB.
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