[ARSCLIST] More on the copyright front

[Karl Miller <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

FYI

Karl

June 8, 2006
Smith Advances Historic Music Copyright Bill
________________________________________
Washington D.C. - The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the
Internet, and Intellectual Property today approved Chairman Lamar Smith's
(TX-21) music licensing bill known as the "Section 115 Reform Act" (SIRA).
This historic legislation, which passed by voice vote, will bring the
multi-billion dollar music industry into the digital age.

"Retailers and online companies should be competing with each other, not
competing with piracy," explained Chairman Smith. "I can download almost
anything on the Internet today, and that list should include legal copies
of all music."

The legislation reforms section 115 of the Copyright Act, which addresses
mechanical licensing. It paves the way for legal music services to offer a
full range of music to consumers. No longer will licensing issues limit
services like iTunes, Yahoo, and others from offering consumers what they
want, when they want it.

The legislation also puts escrowed money into artists' hands. Since 2001,
advance money has been paid into escrow by the legal services to pay
artists once a final rate was set. This legislation empowers the Copyright
Royalty Board to set these final rates and then pay artists the money they
have earned years ago.

This bill benefits consumers by enabling mechanical licensing of all
music, not just certain artists or certain categories of music. To help
retailers, the legislation also covers in-store music purchases of hybrid
products.

"Music licensing reform is necessary to pay artists what they are due and
to make legal copies of all music available to every consumer," concluded
Smith. "This legislation is a major step forward in achieving that goal.
If this isn't a platinum award-winning piece of legislation, I don't know
what is."