MOSCOW, February 8 - RAPSI, Sergei Feklyunin. An appeals court upheld on Tuesday the commercial court's decision to exempt the Melnitsa concert agency from any royalties to the Russian Copyright Society for songs performed by the Muse and We Are Scientists bands during a Moscow concert, Melnitsa's representative told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com).

"The commercial court's judgment has been upheld by the appellate court. All the society's attempts to get money for what it has nothing to do with were duly rebuffed," Melnitsa said.

The Moscow Commercial Court's judgment has come into force after the appeals court held for it.

On October 21, the judge sided with Melnitsa and declared the license agreement signed between the society and the agency two days before the concert null and void.

Melnitsa argued that when signing the agreement it could not have known which songs the musicians would play at the concert. During the performance, the groups only played their own songs. Consequently, the agency does not have to pay the society any royalties, as the performers were paid for their work directly after the concert.

The judgment read that the agreement is deemed invalid because its subject matter was not agreed upon.

Melnitsa's lawyer Anatoly Semyonov said that concert managers signed direct license contracts with both bands and then paid them directly after the performance.

RAPSI/rapsinews.com has yet to reach the Russian Copyright Society for comments.

Melnitsa was founded in 1999. It arranged the performances of ZZ Top, Placebo, Gogol Bordello, Merylin Manson, Iggy Pop, BB King.