Myanmar singer Jet Mya Thaung said last week that he will sue FM radio stations, singing competitions and the Myanmar Music Association (MMA) for commercially using his songs without his permission.

Thaung, whose pop-infused love ballads made him a national sensation in the 1980s, says has not been adequately compensated even as his songs continue to be a regular fixture on local radio stations.

Speaking at a press conference he said: “I am going to sue… since they neglected me and effort that I made across my whole life with my passion and my faith.”

Holding up lists of his songs or cover versions provided to him by the broadcasters, he claimed his songs were used by radio broadcasters without authorisation or compensation thousands of times since 2012.

“I haven’t transferred the rights to my songs to anyone, they are all mine,” he said. “The FM stations are using them for their own business… Right now, I can’t let this pass.”

“If they asked for my permission for the songs that they wanted to use… I would have gladly allowed them to sing and compete with each other, instead of asking for a fee,” he said.

Copyright infringement is a rampant problem in Myanmar with bootlegs easily available on every street-corner.

An antiquated copyright law dating back to 1914 also makes it difficult for musicians to make a profit.

Though the MMA established a library of the country’s popular music in 2010 in order to help artists secure royalty payments, Thaung claimed the body had fulfilled its mandate in spite of him issuing notices to them through newspapers and having discussions with their executives.

The singer’s counsel, U Htay, was also of the opinion that due to a lack of appropriate laws and enforcement, legal action would be difficult unless the government and civily society organisations worked together.