Copywright Royalty Distribution Law Moves Forward

From Paul Mahoney and RAIN: The Radio Internet Newsletter: "Now all that’s required to finally change the expensive and ineffective method by which copyright royalties are determined is the President’s signature.

"The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday accepted Senate amendments and unanimously passed H.R. 1417, the Copyright Royalty and Distribution Reform Act.

The Act eliminates the much-maligned Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel system, known as CARP, in which matters of statutory royalty rates would be determined if a "marketplace" rate couldn’t be reached — such as those for webcasting in 2001.

Webcasters, broadcasters, and copyright owners alike complained that the CARP system’s costs prohibited participation by many affected parties; and that panelists didn’t understand the landscape of the market, which led to arbitrary, inconsistent and unreasonable determinations."

Read the full article and Kurt Hansen’s informative RAIN Newsletter here.