Russian pop singer Philip Kirkorov faces jail over copyright infringements

PanARMENIAN.Net - Four Bulgarian composers have filed a suit against popular Russian singer Philip Kirkorov over alleged intellectual property infringements, novinite.com reports.

The four composers in question – Alexander Saveliev, Dimitar Penev, Ivan Peev, and Nayden Andreev – have authorized a NGO, the "European Society for Human Rights Protection – Bulgaria" to represent them in claiming copyright damages from Kirkorov.

The NGO announced Tuesday, Feb 21, that it has filed a suit with the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office against the Russian star.

The Bulgarian composers claim that Bulgarian pop songs have been performed, reproduced, distributed, and broadcast online and in the music stores in Bulgaria, Russia, and the EU by Filip Kirkorov without the consent of their authors as required under Bulgaria's Copyright Act, explained Chavdar Gogov, a representative of the NGO.

In his word, the Russian star Kirkorov has been committing the alleged intellectual property crimes for years, causing massive damages to the respective authors.

Under Bulgarian law, the alleged crimes could get the perpetrator between 2 and 8 years in jail, and a fine of between BGN 10 000 and BGN 50 000.

The NGO reminds that the current case is not the first time that Bulgarian composers have blamed Kirkorov for stealing their songs and making millions out of them without paying any dues.

Philipp Kirkorov is very popular in Bulgaria, too. Even though his family later moved to Russia, he was born on April 30, 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria. His father is a Bulgarian singer of Armenian descent Bedros Kirkorov.[1][2] His mother, Victoria (née Likhacheva), is Russian.