Rodman Settles Dispute Over the Alleged Misuse of Music

Former professional basketball player Dennis Rodman says he has resolved a dispute over allegedly playing copyrighted music without permission at his Newport Beach restaurant.

The dispute pitted the management of Josh Slocum’s, a restaurant that Rodman formerly co-owned, against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Rodman bought out his partners and reopened the restaurant in December as Rodman’s.

Rodman agreed to pay licensing fees retroactive to 2002 and has signed a new licensing agreement with ASCAP, said his publicist, Shannon Barr.

Rodman said he wasn’t happy about the licensing rule, “but hey, what can you do?” The agency requires payment for use of any of its 8 million copyrighted songs and compositions, whether performed live, piped in from radio stations or played from jukeboxes.

“We are under new management now, and I have taken every precaution that things like this do not happen again,” said Rodman in an e-mail.

He said he didn’t know of the problem until ASCAP threatened to sue.

According to licensing rules, it is the responsibility of commercial establishments such as restaurants, bars and lounges -- not deejays, karaoke companies or performers -- to acquire permission to use licensed songs.