Copyright: how long can you go?

I am following with interest, long time ago, different cases regarding copyrights. But sometimes you see specific examples that make you wonder: are we all going nuts, or will someday a clear line be stablished to know what is a serious matter of copyright infringement, and what is basically an attempt to cash-in for unjustifiable reasons?

And this is exactly what I thought after seeing a recent entry in Slashdot. In very short: a company of car repairs deals with customers by phone. The employees are listening to radio at work. And therefore, customers can listen to radio while having a call with this company. Well, all that is normal.

What is unbelievable to me (yet it is actually happening) is that the Performing Rights Society started legal actions, asking to get money since they think that the radio being heard by customers implies there is a copyright infringement.

I'm speechless.

A feature often mentioned in this blog (the common sense) should join, the sooner the better, the legalities of copyright, so that this concept is used in a fair manner, and not in attempts to cash-in at any price, like those discussed above.