Congress passed an amended version of the Small Webcasters Amendments Act of 2002 just before adjournment. Both the recording industry and most Webcasters supported the measure. It allows SoundExchange, the authorized copyright royalty collection agency, to reach agreements with small commercial and noncommercial Webcasters that can be applied to all artists and record companies.
President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law. It would seem to avert an expected spate of bankruptcies by small Webcasters unable to pay the “per performance” based sound recording royalties mandated by the Copyright Office.
The next Congress may tackle a more comprehensive re-writing of the governing Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.
Small Webcaster Relief Arrives From Congress
Small Webcaster Relief Arrives From Congress
