Prince settles Dublin gig case

A legal action by promoters MCD against Prince and his US agents over the cancellation of a concert in Dublin has been settled out of court.

MCD had sued the singer and William Morris Endeavor Entertainment for 1.7m euros following the cancellation of a concert at Croke Park in 2008.

The details of the settlement have not been disclosed but afterwards Denis Desmond of MCD said he was pleased.

More than 55,000 tickets were sold for the cancelled concert.

The High Court in Dublin had heard that MCD paid half of Prince’s requested $3m fee to William Morris as his agent and had paid 700,000 euros for the use of Croke Park.

The court heard details of a series of emails sent from Mr Desmond of MCD to Tony Goldring of William Morris in which Mr Desmond proposes the Dublin concert and in later emails presses him to confirm the availability of the pop star.

A barrister for MCD said a pattern emerged in the emails where Mr Goldring, who is a booking agent, was at first careful and cautious about committing but later confirmed the dates and the terms.

He added it was clear from the email exchanges that Mr Goldring had not offered confirmation unilaterally but on the basis of a confirmation by Prince’s staff.

Concerns were raised by MCD production staff when they had heard "nothing" as the concert date approached.

MCD was informed on 6 June 2008 that Prince, whose full name is Prince Rogers Nelson, wished to cancel the concert, which was due to take place on 16 June. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Prince sued over axed Dublin gig

A High Court action against Prince for the cancellation of a concert in Dublin in 2008 has started.

Promoters MCD are suing the pop star and his agents for 1.7m euros in compensation after he cancelled the Croke Park concert.

The court heard that he is claiming his agents had no authority to enter into an agreement to perform at the event.

However the agent has said Prince cancelled the concert and gave ‘no reason of substance’ for his decision.

Denis Desmond of MCD told the court that promoters never dealt directly with artists and that Prince’s representative, William Morris Endeavour Entertainment, was one of the two biggest agencies in the world.

He said the tickets for the concert would never have gone on sale if there was any chance Prince would cancel.

He said he had no reason to doubt what the agent was saying and knew that Prince had a reputation for doing things at short notice.

The court heard the agreement was made in February 2008 and more than 55,000 tickets were sold for the gig.

MCD paid half of Prince’s requested $3m fee to William Morris as his agent and had paid 700,000 euros for the use of Croke Park.

Emails

Counsel for MCD, Michael Collins, told Mr Justice Peter Kelly that the court would have to decide who was liable to compensate MCD – the artist or his agent.

The court heard details of a series of emails sent from Mr Desmond of MCD to Tony Goldring of William Morris in which Mr Desmond proposes the Dublin concert and in later emails presses him to confirm the availability of the pop star.

Mr Collins said a pattern emerged in the emails where Mr Goldring, who is a booking agent, is at first careful and cautious about committing but later confirms the dates and the terms.

He added it was clear from the email exchanges that Mr Goldring had not offered confirmation unilaterally but on the basis of a confirmation by the artist’s staff.

Concerns were raised by MCD production staff when they had heard ‘nothing’ as the concert date approached.

MCD was informed on 6 June that Prince, whose full name is Prince Rogers Nelson, wished to cancel the concert, which was due to take place on 16 June. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Cyprus smuggling ring broken up

Police in Cyprus have broken up a smuggling ring that was trying to sell stolen antiquities worth more than 11m euros (£9.6m), officials say.

Artefacts for sale include urns, silver coins and figurines, some of which are thought to be 4,000 years old.

Police are investigating whether an international network was involved.

Ten people have been detained and five others are being sought in what analysts say could be the largest such ring ever discovered in the country.

While many of the objects found came from Cyprus, others were thought to have been made elsewhere, antiquities officials said.

Police are studying the items in an attempt to determine their origins.

Some 110 officers were said to be co-operating with Greek authorities on the case, said Communications Minister Nicos Nicolaides, who added that it raised questions about security around Cyprus’ historical sites.

"This is our heritage and the most precious things we have so they should be made safe," Mr Nicolaides was quoted as telling AFP news agency.

At a crossroads of the ancient world, a succession of armies and kingdoms put down roots and left their mark on Cyprus, including the Egyptians, Persians and Romans.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.