A Look at the BMI’s Influence on U.S. Copyright Law
In our constantly evolving environment, it’s important to reflect on the key players and events that have shaped the landscape of music licensing. One such defining moment occurred a decade ago when Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and 84 other organizations took a stand for -on-bet” target=”_blank”>‘ rights. This collective response to the U.S. Copyright Office’s Notice of Inquiry for its Music Licensing Study serves as a milestone in the ongoing journey towards comprehensive copyright reform in the music industry. Let’s take a closer look at how this event unfolded and its lasting impact today.
A Decade of Copyright Evolution
On May 23, 2014, BMI and 84 other organizations and individuals filed submissions with the U.S. Copyright Office in response to the Officeโs Notice of Inquiry for its Music Licensing Study. The study was initiated because although the Copyright Act reflects many sound and enduring principles, Congress could not have foreseen all of todayโs technologies and the myriad ways consumers and others engage with creative works in the environment.
The Notice and Its Impact
The Notice posed 24 questions designed to evaluate the effectiveness of existing methods of licensing music. The questions covered the subjects of both compulsory licensing and licensing by performing rights organizations, as well as issues surrounding sound recordings and the current consent decrees governing BMI’s and ASCAP’s practices.
Public Roundtables for Open Discussion
As part of its initiative, the Office has been holding a series of public roundtables to offer an opportunity for interested parties to comment on the music licensing issues set forth in its Notice of Inquiry. Representatives of BMI attended the first hearings in Nashville on June 4-5, 2014. BMI representatives also attended the second roundtable, held in Los Angeles, June 16-17, 2014. The final roundtables were held in New York on June 23/24, 2014, with BMI Senior Vice Presidents Michael Steinberg and Stuart Rosen both participating as speakers. These critical hearings provided an opportunity for BMI to champion the cause of consent decree reform.
Present and Future Implications
Many of the issues addressed in these roundtable events were presented by BMI and others to the U.S. Department of Justice, which considered potential changes to BMI’s and ASCAP’s decrees. Please visit bmi.com often for updated news on this study as well as the Songwriter Equity Act of 2014 bills pending in Congress. BMI continues to support the rights of music creators.
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