Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/740943
www.HartfordBusiness.com October 24, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 9 committee to issue draft standards later this year for public comment. They wouldn't be binding, but she hopes to use the council to encourage Connecticut's state government to adopt the new standards. Differing interests Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for the fledgling council will be catering to a wide base of industries and convincing com- panies that sustainability is worth the effort. During a panel discussion, Stephen Freed- man, UBS' head of investment strategy, said the best way to make the case to businesses about sustainability is by talking about the risks of not taking action — from physical risks to legal risks to potential changes in consumer behavior. "The problem is this is all very long term," Freedman acknowledged, noting that he sometimes struggles to convince clients that environmental investments won't under- perform other options, even if the evidence shows they won't. "We're talking about many decades until [climate change] maybe gets ugly." Still, panelist David Levine, executive direc- tor of the American Sustainable Business Coun- cil, said more businesses are paying attention to their environmental and social impacts. "It's short-term thinking that's gotten us into this situation to begin with," Levine said. Though it remains to be seen how it will fare, the Connecticut Sustainability Council hopes to be a force that pushes back against that mindset. n D D 360-acreDmaster-plannedDD businessDparkD D D Commercial/industrialDsitesDD availableDfromD4D-D80DacresD D D EasyDaccessDtoDBradleyDD InternationalDAirportDandDtheD I-91,D1-84DandDI-90DcorridorsD D D SaleDorDbuild-to-suit P r e m i e r B U i L D i N G S i t e S (860) 286-7660 www.griffinindustrial.com Find out why Amazon, Walgreens, Dollar tree, Fedex & UPS all chose to locate within central Connecticut's premier market Day Hill Road Blue Hills Avenue Phoenix Crossing AmazonDD DistributionDCenter Bloomfield, CT ★ ★ ★ ★ Windsor, CT Russian Lady hit with music lawsuit The music licensing industry has struck again, this time targeting a downtown Hart- ford bar for playing 10 songs for patrons, when it allegedly did not hold the rights to do so. Broadcast Music International (BMI), one of several major licensing entities, filed suit against the The Russian Lady earlier this month, seeking unspecified damages for songs allegedly played (largely on March 18) at the Ann Uccello Street establishment. The 10 songs listed in the federal law- suit were all released in the 1990s. Among them are the Smashing Pumpkins' "1979," R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion," Oasis' "Won- derwall" and Bush's "Glycerine." BMI represents the respective rights holders to the various tracks, from Billy Corgan to Noel Gallagher. BMI's Hartford attorney, Michael J. Rye of Cantor Colburn, wrote in court filings that since June 2014, BMI has reached out to the bar and its owner, Jerry Fornarelli, more than 35 times by phone, mail and email "in an effort to educate defendants as to their obligations under the Copyright Act with respect to the necessity of purchasing a license for the public performance of musi- cal compositions in the BMI Repertoire." Some of those communications were cease-and-desists, according to the suit. Fornarelli and The Russian Lady had not yet entered a response to the complaint as of press time. Fornarelli did not return a message left at the bar seeking comment. Asked about the suit, BMI spokeswom- an Jodie Thomas said BMI sends persis- tent communications to establishments because some are unaware of how copy- right laws affect the playing of music in a commercial setting. "That is why we spend so much time try- ing to educate business owners about the value that music brings to their establish- ment, the requirements of copyright law, and the importance of maintaining a music license," Thomas said. Since 2012, BMI has sued at least nine other Connecticut businesses, according to court records. In four of those suits, judge- ments against the defendants, totaling $86,500, have been made public. The pen- alty per song has averaged just over $3,600. Meanwhile, four suits have been with- drawn or settled, while one remains open, in addition to The Russian Lady complaint. – Matt Pilon REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK Seeking a Green Coalition These companies have formally joined the Connecticut Sustainable Business Council, or showed potential interest in joining the group, by sending representatives to the council's Oct. 13 launch event at UBS's Stamford headquarters. Connecticut Green Bank CT Green Building Council EBP Supply Solutions ESPN Ethan Allen Global Inc. Eversource Energy Fusco Corp. Pratt & Whitney Robinson + Cole Stamford Marriott The LEGO Group Uber UBS Financial Services Inc. UTC Aerospace Systems Yale University S O U R C E : C O N N E C T I C U T S U S T A I N A B L E B U S I N E S S C O U N C I L The Russian Lady faces a copyright infringement suit. H B J P H O T O | M A T T P I L O N