James A. Rose

In the crazy business of music that we love, attention to detail is always important. And as the world of showbiz takes many unpredictable turns, an otherwise harmless occurrence of lack of attention can be magnified to one of big-time harmful proportion. It's a pretty good bet that Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corporation, a producer of online journalism content, never saw itself as a petitioner in the Supreme Court of the United States. The vast majority of lawyers and litigants of all kinds never see one of their cases be granted writ of certiorari and go before the nine justices for briefing and argument. But in Fourth Estate vs. Wall-Street.com, LLC , the justices of our nation's highest court saw the opportunity to clarify the legal standard for the right to sue for copyright infringement. And it didn't take long for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to lay down the law in a unanimous opinion - Formal registration by the U.S. Copyright Office is required before an ...

If you're in the music industry in Nashville, you likely have heard something about the appeals filed by Spotify, Amazon, and Pandora. And although you have heard plenty from strong activist organizations such as Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) regarding recent rate determinations, it is perfectly normal to wonder exactly what has been determined and why appeals have been filed.  A big part of the answer comes from a publication rarely read by most but full of information about a recent finalization of rate determinations by a vote of 2-1 from Copyright Royalty Judges. These judges are appointed by the Librarian of Congress, who must consult with the Register of Copyrights regarding such appointments. Decisions by the judges may be appealed (and, in this instance, are being appealed) to the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit. These determined rates are for the payment of royalties for compulsory licenses. An owner of a copyright has th...