Macfarlanes has assisted PRS in this latest judgment of the Competition Appeal Tribunal in Rowntree v Performing Right Society Limited and PRS for Music Limited.  

The judgment relates to Mr Rowntree’s application to pursue collective proceedings against PRS (the UK’s leading collective management organisation for the performing rights in musical works) in relation to aspects of its royalty distribution policies. 

In a first for the Tribunal, the claim was successfully struck out (for failing to offer a proper basis for the claim) and also failed to meet the certification standard on other grounds (under the Microsoft test and costs-benefit assessment).

The Macfarlanes team was led by Partners Simon Day and Christophe Humpe. Meredith Pickford KC and Hugh Whelan of Monckton Chambers, and Charlotte Thomas of Brick Court Chambers, were engaged as counsel.