The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that Warner Bros illegally pirated music at its theme park near Madrid, failing to compensate artists and producers for their work over a six-year period.

Warner Bros – well known for fighting fiercely against piracy and copyright infringement – must now pay out compensation to the sum of €321,450 (US$357,356, £250,336) to the Association of Management of Intellectual Rights (AGEDI) and the Association of Artists and Performers (AIE).

The Supreme Court ordered that Parque Warner must pay the damages for playing the music of multiple Spanish artists on loudspeakers to park visitors between 2002 and 2008.

The case dates back to 2009 when AGEDI and AIE filed a joint lawsuit demanding licensing fees for music played in public at the park, with Madrid’s Commercial Court ruling in favour of the copyright holders in 2010.

Parque Warner contested the lawsuit however, appealing to the Supreme Court that it should not have to pay a yearly fee owing to the seasonality of the park. Unfortunately for the operator, the judge ruled that the compensation amount had not been miscalculated, ordering the park must fairly compensate the artists and producers for music used in an “intense and continuous” manner.