Copyright Office announces music licensing study

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  • #15700
    More Advice
    Guest

    Anyone who licenses music may want to make their voice heard.

    http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=9b6f1d5b-715b-4ef3-b510-5e7cf32a8500

    http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2014/79fr14739.pdf

    Copyright Office
    [Docket No. 2014-03]
    Music Licensing Study: Notice and
    Request for Public Comment
    AGENCY
    :
    Copyright Office, Library of
    Congress.
    ACTION
    :
    Notice of Inquiry.
    SUMMARY
    :
    The United States Copyright
    Office announces the initiation of a
    study to evaluate the effectiveness of
    existing methods of licensing music. To
    aid this effort, the Office is seeking
    public input on this topic. The Office
    will use the information it gathers to
    report to Congress. Congress is currently
    conducting a review of the U.S.
    Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. 101
    et seq.,
    to
    evaluate potential revisions of the law
    in light of technological and other
    developments that impact the creation,
    dissemination, and use of copyrighted
    works.
    DATES
    :
    Written comments are due on or
    before May 16, 2014. The Office will be
    announcing one or more public
    meetings to address music licensing
    issues, to take place after written
    comments are received, by separate
    notice in the future.
    ADDRESSES
    :
    All comments shall be
    submitted electronically. A comment
    page containing a comment form is
    posted on the Office Web site at
    http://www.copyright.gov/docs/
    musiclicensingstudy
    . The Web site
    interface requires commenting parties to
    complete a form specifying their name
    and organization, as applicable, and to
    upload comments as an attachment via
    a browser button. To meet accessibility
    standards, commenting parties must
    upload comments in a single file not to
    exceed six megabytes (MB) in one of the
    following formats: The Portable

    #15735
    MichaelL
    Participant

    Thank you for posting this More Advice. I would advise caution before anyone assumes that the issues surrounding retitling will be resolved in the near future. The library of Congress and then Congress itself, both move very slowly.

    For example, as we know, the high cost of pursuing litigation in the event of infringement prevents many composers from pursuing such claims. In March 2006 the Copyright Office began looking at the possibility of establishing a method of pursuing “small claims.”

    This link will show you what has occurred since 2006 . http://www.copyright.gov/docs/smallclaims/

    After 5 years, the first Notice of Inquiry was issued in 2011. After several subsequent Notices of Inquiry, a 200 page report and recommendation to Congress was issued in September 2013. Changes in the the copyright law, require legislation and, to date, nothing has happened. SO, here we are 8 years into the process, and nothing has changed.

    With respect to the links posted by MA, this is the first step in a long journey. There could be several more inquiries over a number of years, much debate by lobbyists for both sides, then a long report, after which someone must introduce a Bill proposing legislation, which will be debated in the House and the Senate (where everyone always agrees…HA!)

    Changes like the Copyright Term Extension Act, introduced by the late Sonny Bono and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, happen infrequently and over long periods of time.

    I recall a thread several years ago in which I said that technology may solve the problem before Congress does. Technology advances far faster than Congress. Almost everything does.The odds are still with technology.

    #15748
    More Advice
    Guest

    I think the main issue that I get after reading these docs is this:

    Is a stream a “public performance”…like a broadcast of a track or a track playing in a club or restaurant or arena, on TV and radio, etc.?

    I say yes it is. We all should write in and say it is as it will hopefully increase royalties from streaming services. I listen to all new music on Spotify for free now. I will never buy a CD ever again for the rest of my life, nor an mp3 from I tunes. Why should I it is free on YOUTUBE, Spotify, and Pandora. We need more royalties from Streaming. So everyone at least write that note to Congress.

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