Why should people have to complain? That's what we have governments for! Hopefully there's a total ban on the way in Scotland, the SNP has just called for one at its annual conference.

@ #41 says "Government ministers are calling for it to be banned in the UK"; they aren't, see the link given; if you live in the UK-except-in-Scotland you'll have to throw up more noise.

@Takuan: @Dan: @Battlehobo4000: @Qozmiq:
If you look at the original BBC story this was a link to, it says this: "an official complaint about the Christmas lights incident helped sort matters out. Not only did he receive a written apology from Suffolk Police, but also a visit from an inspector, who explained that the officer, a special constable, had acted wrongly." A 'special constable' is an unpaid volunteer part-time policeman. What do you expect?

The court's decision is at http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/opinions/2007CSOH167.html . As the judge complained "neither party saw fit to address me on the law as to what might properly amount to the public playing or performance of copyright works", and the argument was on marginal questions such as whether the PRS had given fair notice of the times and dates music was played, it's hard to see this as establishing any point of principle.

If this case goes further, I'd hope counsel for Kwik-Fit pulls his finger out and points out that playing of music which the public can incidentally hear is not an infringement of copyright under section 19 of the Copyright Act, whether in Scotland or any other part of the United Kingdom. Plenty of legal authority on this!