The U.S. Copyright Office has denied broadcasters’ request to delay royalty payments for streaming programming over the Internet. NAB argues that stations already pay music copyrights for their terrestrial stations and should be exempt from royalties for the streamed stations. The issue is being appealed in the 3rd Circuit Court in Pennsylvania.
The deadline for the fees, retroactive to 1998, is Oct. 20. The monies are due to SoundExchange, a subsidiary of RIAA formed to collect and distribute digital copyright and artist royalties for sound recordings. The copyright office found that if broadcasters win the appeal, they could request that SoundExchange return the money.
Copyright Office Denies Streaming Payment Delay
Copyright Office Denies Streaming Payment Delay