Florida rules in favor of Sirius XM over pre-1972 royalties

Sirius XM secured a court win in Florida over royalties for music recorded prior to 1972. The satellite radio company was sued by Flo & Eddie, representing two members of The Turtles, in Florida, New York, and California over whether it has to pay royalties when it plays songs that were recorded before the adoption of federal copyright law. Continue Reading

Congress introduces legislation for pre-1972 royalties; music industry parties react

Congress is preparing to address the topic of royalties for pre-1972 recordings, a move that sparked positive response from several music industry players. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) introduced the CLASSICS Act to establish royalty payments for the creators of music recorded prior to the advent of federal copyright laws in 1972. Representatives from SoundExchange, the RIAA, and Pandora have all reacted favorably toward this proposal. Continue Reading

iHeartRadio wins pre-1972 case in Georgia Supreme Court

The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled in favor of iHeartRadio in a pre-1972 copyright lawsuit. The online audio platform was in court over the question of whether its service should be treated as a broadcast, and thus exempt from a state statute that makes it illegal to transfer sound recordings without the owner’s consent. Continue Reading

Music Reports to administer pre-1972 license for Sirius XM

The latest development in the unfolding legal story between Sirius XM and Flo & Eddie is about the background paperwork. Music Reports has been chosen as the royalty administrator for a ten-year license for the satellite radio company’s use of Flo & Eddie’s recording catalog and other recordings from prior to 1972. Continue Reading

Industry groups look to overturn Vimeo’s safe harbor appeal on pre-1972 music

One of the recent developments in pre-1972 copyright protection was a win by video hosting service Vimeo in June, where the court ruled that the company could apply safe harbor provisions to those songs. That appeal ruling is now facing a fresh attack. A2IM, the RIAA, and Concord have filed an amicus brief in support of original plaintiff Capitol Records and requesting that the full New York federal appellate court rehear the case. Continue Reading

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CBS wins ruling that remasters of pre-1972 songs can be played without liability

A district court has ruled that remastered songs are not necessarily subject to the same copyright laws as the originals. This development could have a big impact on the ongoing wave of litigation centered on music recorded prior to the adoption of federal copyright laws in 1972. Continue Reading

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Streaming services hit with another pre-1972 royalties lawsuit

A large swath of streaming platforms have been hit with another lawsuit over pre-1972 royalties. The plaintiff is Ricky Spicer, a member of the group Ponderosa Twins Plus One, and he is seeking class action status for his case against Spotify, Apple, Google, SoundCloud, iHeartMedia, Pandora, and Sony Computer Entertainment. Continue Reading