Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music Act of 2007 (S. 256): Section-by-Section Analysis








Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress



As new technologies have changed the ways in which copyrighted musical works and sound
recordings may be reproduced, distributed, and publicly performed, copyright owners,
broadcasters, and music vendors have become increasingly concerned that the various
compulsory licenses applicable to sound recordings result in different treatment for entities
offering similar services. S. 256, the Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music
Act of 2007 (the Perform Act), represents one legislative approach to resolving these concerns, at
least as they apply to digital public performances of sound recordings.
The Perform Act would amend 17 U.S.C. § 112 to require that webcasters pay copyright owners a
compulsory license fee based on the fair market value of their works when making “ephemeral
recordings.” It would similarly change the terms under which transmission services obtain
compulsory licenses for digital public performances of copyrighted sound recordings under 17
U.S.C. § 114(f) by (1) providing for compulsory licenses for all types of transmission services
under the same statutory provision, (2) setting license fees for all types of transmission services
based on the same three criteria, and (3) using the fair market value of the works licensed as the
standard for determining all compulsory license fees.
The Perform Act also strengthens the requirements of 17 U.S.C. § 114(d) to ensure that
transmission services cannot rely on a compulsory license for digital public performance in order
to distribute sound recordings to listeners. It further adds a concept of “reasonable recording” to
17 U.S.C. § 114(j), under which transmission services, in order to qualify for the compulsory
public performance license, must employ technological measures to limit copying or recording by
listeners.
Finally, the Perform Act requires that the Register of Copyrights convene a meeting between
owners of copyrighted sound recordings and transmitting services no later than 60 days after its
enactment to discuss the creation of a new category for “limited interactive services” and set
appropriate compulsory license fees for these services.






Introduc tion ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Backgr ound ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Section 1: Short Title.......................................................................................................................3
Section 2: Rate-Setting Standards...................................................................................................3
Section 112 Licenses.................................................................................................................3
Section 114 Licenses.................................................................................................................3
Content Protection.....................................................................................................................5
Defini ti on ..................................................................................................................... ............. 6
Technical and Conforming Amendments..................................................................................6
Section 3: Register of Copyrights Meeting and Report...................................................................7
Appendix. A Side-by-Side Comparison of the Current Statutory Language and the
Changes That Would Be Made to It by the Perform Act..............................................................8
Author Contact Information..........................................................................................................15






S. 256, the Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music Act of 2007 (the
Perform Act), introduced on January 11, 2007, by Senator Dianne Feinstein, seeks to promote
parity in the music licensing fees paid by entities involved in the digital performance and
distribution of copyrighted music. It would amend certain provisions of U.S. copyright law (17
U.S.C. §§ 112 and 114) to (1) subject all digital public performances of copyrighted sound
recordings to compulsory licensing under the same statutory provision and standards, regardless
of whether they are transmitted by preexisting or new, subscription, or non-subscription services;
(2) require services that transmit digital public performances of copyrighted sound recordings
under compulsory licenses to use technological measures to prevent the making of copies
embodying the transmission of the sound recordings; and (3) use the fair market value of the
copyrighted sound recordings in setting compulsory license fees for digital public performances
of them. This report provides a section-by-section analysis of the Perform Act and the changes it
would make to U.S. copyright law.

Among the creative works that U.S. copyright law protects are sound recordings (material or
digital embodiments of performances of musical works) and musical works (musical 1
compositions consisting of musical notation and any accompanying words). Owners of
copyrighted sound recordings have exclusive rights to reproduce, adapt, or distribute their works, 2
or to perform them publicly by digital means. Normally, anyone who wants to exercise any of
the copyright owner’s exclusive rights must obtain the copyright owner’s permission to do so, 3
typically by negotiating a private licensing agreement. However, copyright law also provides
several types of “compulsory licenses” for sound recordings. These licenses allow third parties
who pay statutorily prescribed fees to use copyrighted sound recordings under certain conditions, 4
without having to negotiate private licensing agreements. Among other things, compulsory
licenses currently are available for “ephemeral recordings” (reproductions of sound recordings
made by webcasters or radio stations to facilitate the “streaming” of their content on the 5
Internet), as well as public performances of sound recordings by digital transmission services, 6
such as webcasters and satellite digital audio radio services.

1 17 U.S.C. §§ 102(a)(1) & (7). Cole Porter’s song “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is a musical work. A tape, compact
disk, or MP3 of Frank Sinatra singingIve Got You Under My Skin” is a sound recording.
2 17 U.S.C. §§ 106(1)-(3) & (6). The owners of copyrighted musical works, in contrast, have exclusive rights to
publicly perform their works by any means, digital or non-digital. 17 U.S.C. § 106(4). As defined by the Copyright Act,
public performance includes (1) performance at any place open to the public or where a “substantial number of persons
outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances gather, or (2) transmission or other communication
to a public place or to the public by any device or process allowing members of the public to receive the performance
as a group or individually. 17 U.S.C. § 101.
3 See CRS Report RL33631, Copyright Licensing in Music Distribution, Reproduction, and Public Performance, by
Brian T. Yeh.
4 Id.
5 17 U.S.C. § 112(a)(1). Webcasters are radio stations that transmit their broadcasts through the Internet instead of, or
in addition to, through radio waves transmitted by air. “Streaming refers to the transmission of audio or video content
via the Web in such a way that the content is viewable while it is being transmitted.
6 17 U.S.C. § 114.





As new technologies have changed the ways in which copyrighted musical works and sound
recordings may be reproduced, distributed, and publicly performed, copyright owners,
broadcasters, and music vendors have become increasingly concerned that the various
compulsory licenses applicable to sound recordings result in different and inequitable treatment
for entities offering similar services. Webcasters object to paying compulsory license fees for
“ephemeral” reproductions and public performances when terrestrial (AM/FM) radio stations do 7
not. They also are concerned about paying more in compulsory license fees than existing satellite
radio services, whose license fees are separately established based upon factors that recognize 8
their infrastructure investments and seek to minimize disruption to their business models.
Copyright owners worry that satellite digital services are impermissibly “stretching” the
compulsory public performance license in order to distribute sound recordings because they have
developed portable devices that allow users not only to record musical programming but also to 9
save and re-sequence selected songs from such recordings. Satellite radio services, on the other
hand, note that they face more expenses in transmitting public performances than webcasters do 10
because they must purchase spectrum and launch satellites prior to transmitting music. They
argue that listeners recording from satellite radio are no different than listeners recording from
terrestrial radio and thus are covered by the Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA) (P.L. 102-11
563). The Perform Act represents one legislative approach to resolving these concerns, at least
as they apply to digital public performances of sound recordings.

7 Parity, Platforms, and Protection: The Future of the Music Industry in the Digital Radio Revolution: Hearing Before
the Senate Comm. on the Judiciary [hereinafter Parity, Platforms], 109th Cong., 2nd Sess. (2006) (statement of N. Mark
Lam, Chairman and CEO of Live365, Inc.) (noting that a terrestrial radio station with the same sized audience as
Live365 pays 3.5% of its revenue for use of copyrighted musical works and nothing for use of copyrighted sound
recordings, while Live365 pays 6.5% of its revenue for use of copyrighted musical works and 33.4% of its revenue for
use of copyrighted sound recordings). See Bonneville Int’l Corp. v. Peters, 347 F.3d 485 (3d Cir. 2003) (rejecting
webcasters claim that they should be exempt from paying for use of copyrighted sound recordings, like terrestrial radio
stations are).
8 Parity, Platforms (noting that satellite digital audio radio services pay royalties on sound recordings at a rate of 5-7%
of revenue, 4-6% less than the rate paid by subscription Internet radio services and the 22-28% less than paid by a
webcaster of Live365’s size). Cf. 17 U.S.C. §§ 801(b)(1)(C)-(D) (applying only to 17 U.S.C. § 114(f)(1)(B), or
preexisting satellite digital audio radio services, and stating that the compulsory fee is to be set based upon
consideration of (1)the relative roles of the copyright owners and the copyright user in the product made available to
the public with respect to relative creative contribution, technological contribution, capital investment, cost, risk, and
contribution to the opening of new markets” and (2)minimiz[ing] any disruptive impact on the structure of the
industries involved and on generally prevailing industry practices).
9 Parity, Platforms (statement of Edgar Bronfman, chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group) (“Satellite services are
now offering new devices, which can essentially transform a satellite service like XM and Sirius into a distribution
service like iTunes.”). Owners of copyrights in sound recordings have also sued, claiming that satellite digital audio
radio services violate their distribution rights with these recording and playback devices. See Atlantic Recording Corp.
v. XM Satellite Radio, Inc., 2007 WL 136186 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 19, 2007). For more information, see CRS Report
RL33538, Satellite Digital Audio Radio Services and Copyright Law Issues, by Brian T. Yeh.
10 Parity, Platforms (statement of Gary Parsons, chairman of the board of XM Satellite Radio, Inc.) (noting an
investment of nearly $4 billion in start-up costs).
11 Id. But see Protecting Digital Broadcast Content: Hearing Before the House Comm. on the Judiciary, 109th Cong.,
1st Sess. (2005) (statement of Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America,
Inc.) (“Satellite radio should ... not be able to rely on [AHRA] to create an unlicensed download service.). AHRA
requires that importers and manufacturers of certain digital audio recording devices pay a percentage of each device’s
sale price to owners of copyrighted musical works.






Section 1 of the bill contains its short title, the Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights
Holders in Music Act of 2007, or the Perform Act of 2007. Bills with the same name and largely th12
identical content were introduced in both houses of the 109 Congress but not enacted.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 (P.L. 105-304) created a new
compulsory license for webcasters who temporarily reproduce copyrighted sound recordings
while publicly performing them (e.g., creating cache or buffer copies prior to or during 13
streaming). Under the current version of 17 U.S.C. § 112(e)(4), if the webcasters and copyright
owners fail to negotiate a fee for these “ephemeral recordings,” the U.S. Copyright Office’s
Copyright Royalty Judges are to determine a fee corresponding to that which willing buyers and
sellers would negotiate in the marketplace. The Perform Act amends 17 U.S.C. § 112(e)(4) by
replacing the willing buyer/seller standard with a standard based on “the fair market value of the
rights licensed.” The rationale for this change is unclear; even the sponsor of S. 256, Senator
Feinstein, notes that there is “some concern about what fair market value means, especially under 14
a government licensing scheme where there is not an actual competitive market.” However, one
possibility is that the use of the fair market value in setting compulsory license fees may parallel 15
its use in assessing actual damages for copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 504(a)(1).
In amending the Copyright Act to grant owners of copyrighted sound recordings exclusive rights
in digital public performances of their works, the Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings
Act (DPRSRA) of 1995 (P.L. 104-39) also created a compulsory license for digital public
performances of copyrighted sound recordings. The DMCA later modified the DPRSRA
compulsory license system by distinguishing between licenses for (1) preexisting subscription
services and satellite radio services, such as cable services, XM Satellite Radio, and SIRIUS

12 H.R. 5361, 109th Cong., 2d Sess. (2006) (sponsored by Representative Howard L. Berman) and S. 2644, 109th Cong.,
2d Sess. (2006) (sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein).
13 17 U.S.C. § 112(e). Although § 112 licenses are available for both (1) services transmitting under any type of license
or transfer of copyright and (2) broadcasters licensed by the Federal Communications Commission that make
nonsubscription digital transmissions of sound recordings, discussions of § 112 typically use the term “webcaster as a
shorthand for both groups. That convention is followed in this report in reference to § 112 licenses.
14 152 CONG. REC. S3510-01 (Apr. 25, 2006).
15 Yet, in assessing fair market value when setting actual damages, courts have treated fair market value as synonymous
with the rate thata willing buyer would have ... [paid] a willing seller” for use of the work. Christopher Phelps & th
Assocs., LLC v. Galloway,- F.3d—-, 2007 WL 438806, at *6 (4 Cir. Feb. 12, 2007); see also United States v.
Broad. Music, Inc., 316 F.3d 189, 194 (2d Cir. 2003) (fair market value is “the price that a willing buyer and a willing
seller would agree to in an arms length transaction”). Later litigation involving the performing rights organization BMI
established that fair market value can be set higher than the retail price in order to cover the costs of processes and
services necessary to bring the product to market. United States v. Broad. Music, Inc., 426 F.3d 91, 97 (2d Cir. 2005).





Satellite Radio, and (2) transmissions by new subscription or satellite services and all other 16
eligible nonsubscription transmissions, such as webcasters. Currently, under DPRSRA as 17
amended by the DMCA, only the preexisting subscription or satellite services have their rates
set under standards that consider the services’ role in creating new markets and seek to minimize 18
disruption of their industry. New subscription or satellite services, as well as eligible
nonsubscription services, do not have their rates determined under such standards. Their rate
setting standards do not consider their role in creating new markets, or seek to minimize 1920
disruption to their industries—and their rates thus tend to be higher.
The Perform Act eliminates the DMCA’s distinction between preexisting subscription or satellite
services and all other services by deleting 17 U.S.C. § 114(f)(1). Instead, it renumbers the current 21
§ 114(f)(2) as the new § 114(f)(1) and revises it to cover all “transmissions.” The Perform Act
further revises the new § 114(f)(1)(B) to use the same three factors in setting compulsory license
fees for all transmission services. Two of these factors—(1) the transmission’s impact on sound
recordings’ sales or the copyright owners’ revenue stream and (2) the creative, technological and
financial contributions of the copyright owner and transmission provider—are included in the
current § 114(f)(2)(B). However, the Perform Act adds a third factor that more directly addresses
copyright owners’ concerns that public performance licences are being used to avoid negotiating
distribution rights. This factor is “the degree to which reasonable recording affects the potential
market for sound recordings, and the additional fees that are required to be paid by services for
compensation.” The Perform Act also changes § 114(f) in the same way that it changes § 112(e),
by providing that compulsory license fees are to correspond to the fair market value of the works,
not the price that would be negotiated by willing buyers and sellers in the marketplace. Further,
the Perform Act revises the new § 114(f)(1)(C) to allow owners of copyrighted sound recordings
to seek re-calculation of the compulsory license fee whenever services digitally transmitting
public performances of copyrighted sound recordings introduce new technologies or devices.
To the degree that the Perform Act applies the same statutory provision and rate-setting factors to
all services that publicly perform copyrighted sound recordings by digital means, it does promote
parity. However, the Perform Act does not require absolute rate parity between all services
publicly performing sound recordings by digital means under § 114 compulsory licenses. Rather,
the Perform Act leaves language in the new § 114(f) that requires different transmitting entities to
pay different compulsory license fees:
[R]ates and terms shall distinguish among the different types of services then in operation
and shall include a minimum fee for each such type of service, such differences to be based
on criteria including, but not limited to, the quantity and nature of the use of sound
recordings and the degree to which use of the service may substitute for or may promote the 2223
purchase of phonorecords by consumers.

16 Compare 17 U.S.C. §§ 114(f)(1) and (f)(2).
17 Governed by 17 U.S.C. § 114(f)(1).
18 See 17 U.S.C. §§ 801(b)(1)(C)-(D) (applying only to subsection (f)(1) of 17 U.S.C. § 114).
19 17 U.S.C. § 804(b)(3)(C).
20 See supra footnote 8.
21 Specifically, the Perform Act deletes from the new 17 U.S.C. § 114(f)(1) language describingeligible
nonsubscription transmission services and “transmissions by new transmission services specified by subsection
(d)(2).”
22 Under U.S. copyright law, a phonorecord isany material object[] in which sounds ... are fixed by any method ... and
(continued...)





The Perform Act attempts to ensure that transmission services cannot rely upon compulsory
licenses for public performances to distribute copyrighted sound recordings. Currently, under 17
U.S.C. § 114(d)(2), transmission services are eligible for compulsory licenses only if (1) their 24
transmissions are not part of an interactive service; (2) they do not automatically and
intentionally cause any device receiving the transmission to switch from one program channel to
another unless they are transmitting to a business entity; and (3) they accompany their
transmissions, whenever technically feasible, with any information encoded into the sound
recording by the copyright owner to identify its title, performer, or underlying musical work. The
Perform Act would add a fourth requirement to this listing, allowing a transmission service to rely
on the compulsory license only where it
takes no affirmative steps to authorize, enable, cause or induce25 the making of a copy or
phonorecord by or for the transmission recipient and uses technology that is reasonably
available, technologically feasible, and economically reasonable to prevent the making of
copies or phonorecords embodying the transmission in whole or in part, except for
reasonable recording.
Language similar to the fourth requirement is currently in § 114(d)(2)(C)(vi), although the
Perform Act would remove this subsection. Presently, § 114(2)(C)(vi) applies only to new
subscription services or preexisting subscription services using different transmission
mechanisms than those they used on July 31, 1998; it does not reach the activities of preexisting
subscription or satellite services such as XM or SIRIUS so long as they do not change their 26
transmission mechanisms. Moreover, the Perform Act’s proposed language for the new §
114(d)(2)(A)(iv) is broader in terms of what a transmitting service must do to qualify for a

(...continued)
from which the sounds can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a
machine or device.” 17 U.S.C. § 101.
23 Congressional proponents of the Perform Act typically say that it will subjectInternet, cable and satellite ... to the
same rate standards,” not the same rates. Parity, Platforms (statement of Senator Arlen Specter, Chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee).
24 The meaning of “interactive service” has been a matter of some dispute, as the sponsors of the Perform Act note. See
152 CONG. REC. S3510-01 (Apr. 25, 2006) (statement of Senator Feinstein). Under the DPRSRA, aninteractive
service was defined as “one that enables a member of the public to receive, on request, a transmission of a particular
sound recording chosen by or on behalf of that recipient.” The DMCA amended that definition toone that enables a
member of the public to receive a transmission of a program specially created for the recipient, or on request, a
transmission of a particular sound recording, whether or not as part of a program, which is selected by or on behalf of
the recipient.” Many people have objected that in changing this definition, the DMCA replaced a “fairly
straightforward and objective test [with] one requiring a complex subjective analysis.” Music Licensing Issues: thst
Hearing Before the Senate Comm. on the Judiciary, 109 Cong., 1 Sess. (2005) (statement of Rob Glaser, Chairman
and CEO of RealNetworks, Inc.).
25 It is unclear whether the Perform Acts usage of “induce” here is intended to correspond to the meaning of “induce”
in the Supreme Court’s decision in MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd., 545 U.S. 913 (2005), which held that
manufacturers of devices can face secondary liability for copyright infringement when theyinduce” their customers to
use their products illegally. The verb “induce” is used in the current § 114(d)(2)(C)(vi), which predates the Grokster
decision.
26 New devices promoted by XM and SIRIUS allow consumers to record segments of transmissions and then save only
selected songs, or re-sequence the songs from their broadcast order. These would not fall within the category of
“transmission medium” because they are devices for receiving, not sending, content. See 17 U.S.C. § 101 (defining
transmit”). Some critics contend that the entire Perform Act is targeted at XM and SIRIUS. See Joseph Palenchar,
Senate Bill Targets Sat-Radio Recording, 21 TWICE 1 (2006).





compulsory license than is current law. Under the current § 114(d)(2)(C)(vi), a service cannot rely
on the compulsory license if it (1) causes or induces recipients to make recordings and (2) to the
degree its transmission technologies enable it to limit the making of recordings, fails to impose
such limits. Under the new § 114(d)(2)(A)(iv), a service cannot rely on the compulsory license if
it (1) authorizes or enables, as well as causes or induces, recipients to make copies or recordings
and (2) fails to use technologies that are reasonably available, technologically feasible, and
economically reasonable to prevent copying or recording by listeners. Thus, under the Perform
Act, a transmitting service must satisfy additional conditions to qualify for a § 114 compulsory
license, including potentially using digital rights management (DRM) technologies to limit the 27
recipient’s ability to reproduce, distribute, or perform the transmitted music.
The Perform Act adds a new definition describing “reasonable recording” to 17 U.S.C. § 114(j).
Under the Perform Act, a recording cannot be reasonable where an entity, which is transmitting
digital public performances under a § 114 compulsory license for private, noncommercial use,
fails to employ technological measures incorporated into recording devices to prevent
• automated recording or playback of user-selected sound recordings, albums, or
artists;
• separation of a transmission into its component segments (e.g., songs) so as to permit
their playback in a different sequence; and
• redistribution, retransmission or exporting of a phonorecord containing any part of a
sound recording licensed under § 114 unless the destination device is a secure, in-home
network complying with these requirements.
The Perform Act does not, however, prohibit automated recording or playback of user-selected
programs, time periods or channels, or noninfringing, non-automated manual recording and
playback by consumers.
The Perform Act relies upon this definition of “reasonable recording” as one of the factors to be
considered in setting compulsory license fees under the new § 114(f)(1)(B) and in establishing
when a preexisting satellite digital audio radio service may rely on the statutory license under §

114(d).


The Perform Act removes references to § 114(f)(2)(C), which the Perform Act renumbers as §

114(f)(1)(C), from 17 U.S.C. § 803(b)(3)(B).



27 Some observers have noted that this requirement of the Perform Act may force webcasters to stream music to the
public using a DRM-enabled digital music file format, such as Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio (WMA) or Reals
RealAudio (RA) format. MP3-encoded audio is not DRM-compliant, and thus webcasters may need to switch their
Internet radio streams to a non-MP3 format. Such a change may require additional license fees to be paid to the owners
of those proprietary music file formats. See Fred von Lohmann, The Season of Bad Laws, Part 3: Banning MP3
Streaming, Apr. 26, 2006, available on March 12, 2007, at http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004587.php.







Finally, the Perform Act requires that the Register of Copyrights convene a meeting between
owners of copyrighted sound recordings and transmitting services no later than 60 days after its
enactment to discuss the creation of a new category for “limited interactive services” and set
appropriate compulsory license fees for these services.








Current Statute Statute as Amended by the Perform Act
§ 112(e)(4) § 112(e)(4)
The schedule of reasonable rates and terms determined The schedule of reasonable rates and terms determined
by the Copyright Royalty Judges shall, subject to by the Copyright Royalty Judges shall, subject to
paragraph (5), be binding on all copyright owners of paragraph (5), be binding on all copyright owners of
sound recordings and transmitting organizations entitled sound recordings and transmitting organizations entitled
to a statutory license under this subsection during the 5-to a statutory license under this subsection during the 5-
year period specified in paragraph (3), or such other year period specified in paragraph (3), or such other
period as the parties may agree. Such rates shall include a period as the parties may agree. Such rates shall include a
minimum fee for each type of service offered by minimum fee for each type of service offered by
transmitting organizations. The Copyright Royalty Judges transmitting organizations. The Copyright Royalty Judges
shall establish rates that most clearly represent the fees shall establish rates that most clearly represent the fair
that would have been negotiated in the market value of the rights licensed under this
marketplace between a willing buyer and a willing subsection.


seller.



Current Statute Statute as Amended by the Perform Act
§ 114(d)(2)(A) § 114(d)(2)(A)
[The performance of a sound recording publicly by [The performance of a sound recording publicly by
means of a subscription digital audio transmission not means of a subscription digital audio transmission not
exempt under paragraph (1), an eligible nonsubscription exempt under paragraph (1), an eligible nonsubscription
transmission, or a transmission not exempt under transmission, or a transmission not exempt under
paragraph (1) that is made by a preexisting satellite digital paragraph (1) that is made by a preexisting satellite digital
audio radio service shall be subject to statutory licensing, audio radio service shall be subject to statutory licensing,
in accordance with subsection (f) if—] in accordance with subsection (f) if—]
(i) the transmission is not part of an interactive service; (i) the transmission is not part of an interactive service;
(ii) except in the case of a transmission to a business (ii) except in the case of a transmission to a business
establishment, the transmitting entity does not establishment, the transmitting entity does not
automatically and intentionally cause any device receiving automatically and intentionally cause any device receiving
the transmission to switch from one program channel to the transmission to switch from one program channel to
another; and another; and
(iii) except as provided in section 1002(e) the (iii) except as provided in section 1002(e) the
transmission of the sound recording is accompanied, if transmission of the sound recording is accompanied, if
technically feasible, by the information encoded in that technically feasible, by the information encoded in that
sound recording, if any, by or under the authority of the sound recording, if any, by or under the authority of the
copyright owner of that sound recording, that identifies copyright owner of that sound recording, that identifies
the title of the sound recording, the featured recording the title of the sound recording, the featured recording
artist who performs on the sound recording, and related artist who performs on the sound recording, and related
information, including information concerning the information, including information concerning the
underlying musical work and its writer; underlying musical work and its writer; and
(iv) the transmitting entity takes no affirmative
steps to authorize, enable, cause or induce the
making of a copy or phonorecord by or for the
transmission recipient and uses technology that is
reasonably available, technologically feasible, and
economically reasonable to prevent the making
of copies or phonorecords embodying the
transmission in whole or in part, except for
reasonable recording as defined in this
subsection;





Current Statute Statute as Amended by the Perform Act
§ 114(d)(2)(C) § 114(d)(2)(C)
[The performance of a sound recording publicly by [The performance of a sound recording publicly by
means of a subscription digital audio transmission not means of a subscription digital audio transmission not
exempt under paragraph (1), an eligible nonsubscription exempt under paragraph (1), an eligible nonsubscription
transmission, or a transmission not exempt under transmission, or a transmission not exempt under
paragraph (1) that is made by a preexisting satellite digital paragraph (1) that is made by a preexisting satellite digital
audio radio service shall be subject to statutory licensing, audio radio service shall be subject to statutory licensing,
in accordance with subsection (f) if—] in accordance with subsection (f) if—]
(C) in the case of an eligible nonsubscription (C) in the case of an eligible nonsubscription
transmission or a subscription transmission not exempt transmission or a subscription transmission not exempt
under paragraph (1) that is made by a new subscription under paragraph (1) that is made by a new subscription
service or by a preexisting subscription service other service or by a preexisting subscription service other
than in the same transmission medium used by such than in the same transmission medium used by such
service on July 31, 1998— service on July 31, 1998—
(vi) the transmitting entity takes no affirmative steps to (vi) the transmitting entity takes no affirmative
cause or induce the making of a phonorecord by the steps to cause or induce the making of a
transmission recipient, and if the technology used by the phonorecord by the transmission recipient, and if
transmitting entity enables the transmitting entity to limit the technology used by the transmitting entity
the making by the transmission recipient of enables the transmitting entity to limit the
phonorecords of the transmission directly in a digital making by the transmission recipient of
format, the transmitting entity sets such technology to phonorecords of the transmission directly in a
limit such making of phonorecords to the extent digital format, the transmitting entity sets such
permitted by such technology; technology to limit such making of phonorecords
to the extent permitted by such technology;
New text added at end of § 114(d)(2)(C)
For purposes of subparagraph (A)(iv), the mere offering
of a transmission and accompanying metadata does not in
itself authorize, enable, cause, or induce the making of a
phonorecord. Nothing shall preclude or prevent a
performing rights society or a mechanical rights
organization, or any entity owned in whole or in part by,
or acting on behalf of, such organizations or entities,
from monitoring public performances or other uses of
copyrighted works contained in such transmissions. Any
such organization or entity shall be granted a license on
either a gratuitous basis or for a de minimus fee to cover
only the reasonable costs to the licensor of providing the
license, and on reasonable, nondiscriminatory terms, to
access and retransmit as necessary any content
contained in such transmissions protected by content
protection or similar technologies, if such licenses are for
purposes of carrying out the activities of such
organizations or entities in monitoring the public
performance or other uses of copyrighted works, and
such organizations or entities employ reasonable
methods to protect any such content accessed from
further distribution.





Current Statute Statute as Amended by the Perform Act
§ 114(f)(1) Deleted and replaced with what was formerly §
(1) (A) Proceedings under chapter 8 shall determine 114(f)(2)


reasonable rates and terms of royalty payments for
subscription transmissions by preexisting subscription
services and transmissions by preexisting satellite digital
audio radio services specified by subsection (d)(2) during
the 5-year period beginning on January 1 of the second
year following the year in which the proceedings are to
be commenced, except where a different transitional
period is provided under section 6(b)(3) of the Copyright
Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2004 or such
other period. Such terms and rates shall distinguish
among the different types of digital audio transmission
services then in operation. Any copyright owners of
sound recordings, preexisting subscription services, or
preexisting satellite digital audio radio services may
submit to the Copyright Royalty Judges licenses covering
such subscription transmissions with respect to such
sound recordings. The parties to each proceeding shall
bear their own costs.
(B) The schedule of reasonable rates and terms
determined by the Copyright Royalty Judges shall, subject
to paragraph (3), be binding on all copyright owners of
sound recordings and entities performing sound
recordings affected by this paragraph during the 5-year
period specified in subparagraph (A), a transitional period
provided under section 6(b)(3) of the Copyright Royalty
and Distribution Reform Act of 2004, or such other
period as the parties may agree. In establishing rates and
terms for preexisting subscription services and
preexisting satellite digital audio radio services, in
addition to the objectives set forth in section 801 (b)(1)
the Copyright Royalty Judges may consider the rates and
terms for comparable types of subscription digital audio
transmission services and comparable circumstances
under voluntary license agreements described in
subparagraph (A).
(C) The procedures under subparagraphs (A) and (B)
also shall be initiated pursuant to a petition filed by any
copyright owners of sound recordings, any preexisting
subscription services, or any preexisting satellite digital
audio radio services indicating that a new type of
subscription digital audio transmission service on which
sound recordings are performed is or is about to
become operational, for the purpose of determining
reasonable terms and rates of royalty payments with
respect to such new type of transmission service for the
period beginning with the inception of such new type of
service and ending on the date on which the royalty rates
and terms for subscription digital audio transmission
services most recently determined under subparagraph
(A) or (B) and chapter 8 expire, or such other period as
the parties may agree.



Current Statute Statute as Amended by the Perform Act
§ 114(f)(2)(A) Renumbered as § 114(f)(1)(A)
Proceedings under chapter 8 shall determine Proceedings under chapter 8 shall determine
reasonable rates and terms of royalty payments reasonable rates and terms of royalty payments
for subscription transmissions by eligible for transmissions during 5-year periods beginning
nonsubscription transmission services and on January 1 of the second year following the year
transmissions by new subscription services in which the proceedings are to be commenced,
specified by subsection (d)(2) during the 5-year except where a different transitional period is
period beginning on January 1 of the second year provided under section 6(b)(3) of the Copyright
following the year in which the proceedings are to Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2004, or
be commenced, except where a different such other period as the parties may agree.


transitional period is provided under section
6(b)(3) of the Copyright Royalty and Distribution
Reform Act of 2004, or such other period as the
parties may agree. Such rates and terms shall
distinguish among the different types of eligible
nonsubscription transmission services and new
subscription services then in operation and shall
include a minimum fee for each such type of
service. Any copyright owners of sound
recordings or any entities performing sound
recordings affected by this paragraph may submit
to the Copyright Royalty Judges licenses covering
such eligible nonsubscription transmissions and
new subscription services with respect to such
sound recordings. The parties to each proceeding
shall bear their own costs.



Current Statute Statute as Amended by the Perform Act
§ 114(f)(2)(B) Renumbered as § 114(f)(1)(B)
The schedule of reasonable rates and terms determined The schedule of reasonable rates and terms determined
by the Copyright Royalty Judges shall, subject to by the Copyright Royalty Judges shall, subject to
paragraph (3), be binding on all copyright owners of paragraph (3), be binding on all copyright owners of
sound recordings and entities performing sound sound recordings and entities performing sound
recordings affected by this paragraph during the 5-recordings under this section during the 5-year period
year period specified in subparagraph (A), a transitional specified in subparagraph (A), a transitional period
period provided under section 6(b)(3) of the Copyright provided under section 6(b)(3) of the Copyright Royalty
Royalty and Distribution Act of 2004, or such other and Distribution Act of 2004, or such other period as the
period as the parties may agree. Such rates and terms parties may agree. Such rates and terms shall distinguish
shall distinguish among the different types of eligible among the different types of eligible nonsubscription
nonsubscription transmission services then in transmission services then in operation and shall
operation and shall include a minimum fee for each such include a minimum fee for each such type of service, such
type of service, such differences to be based on criteria differences to be based on criteria including, but not
including, but not limited to, the quantity and nature of limited to, the quantity and nature of the use of sound
the use of sound recordings and the degree to which use recordings and the degree to which use of the service
of the service may substitute for or may promote the may substitute for or may promote the purchase of
purchase of phonorecords by consumers. In establishing phonorecords by consumers. In establishing rates and
rates and terms for transmissions by eligible terms for transmissions by eligible nonsubscription
nonsubscription services and new subscription services and new subscription services, the
services, the Copyright Royalty Judges shall establish Copyright Royalty Judges shall establish the fair market
rates and terms that most clearly represent the value of the rights licensed under this section. In
rates and terms that would have been negotiated determining such rates and terms, the Copyright Royalty
in the marketplace between a willing buyer and a Judges shall base their decision on economic,
willing seller. In determining such rates and terms, the competitive and programming information presented by
Copyright Royalty Judges shall base its decision on the parties, including—
economic, competitive and programming information (i) whether use of the service may substitute for or may
presented by the parties, including— promote the sales of phonorecords or otherwise may
(i) whether use of the service may substitute for or may interfere with or may enhance the sound recording
promote the sales of phonorecords or otherwise may copyright owner’s other streams of revenue from its
interfere with or may enhance the sound recording sound recordings; and
copyright owner’s other streams of revenue from its (ii) the relative roles of the copyright owner and the
sound recordings; and transmitting entity in the copyrighted work and the
(ii) the relative roles of the copyright owner and the service made available to the public with respect to
transmitting entity in the copyrighted work and the relative creative contribution, technological contribution,
service made available to the public with respect to capital investment, cost, and risk; and
relative creative contribution, technological contribution, (iii) the degree to which reasonable recording
capital investment, cost, and risk. affects the potential market for sound recordings,
In establishing such rates and terms, the Copyright and the additional fees that are required to be
Royalty Judges may consider the rates and terms for paid by services for compensation.
comparable types of digital audio transmission services In establishing such rates and terms, the Copyright
and comparable circumstances under voluntary license Royalty Judges may consider the rates and terms for
agreements negotiated under subparagraph (A). comparable types of digital audio transmission services
and comparable circumstances under voluntary license
agreements negotiated under subparagraph (A).





Current Statute Statute as Amended by the Perform Act
§ 114(f)(2)(C) Renumbered as § 114(f)(1)(C)
The procedures under subparagraphs (A) and (B) shall The procedures under subparagraphs (A) and (B) shall
also be initiated pursuant to a petition filed by any also be initiated pursuant to a petition filed by any
copyright owners of sound recordings or any eligible copyright owners of sound recordings or any
nonsubscription service or new subscription service transmitting entity indicating that a new type of
indicating that a new type of eligible nonsubscription service on which sound recordings are performed
service or new subscription service on which is or is about to become operational, for the
sound recordings are performed is or is about to purpose of determining reasonable terms and rates of
become operational, for the purpose of determining royalty payments with respect to such new type of
reasonable terms and rates of royalty payments with service for the period beginning with the inception of
respect to such new type of service for the period such new type of service and ending on the date on
beginning with the inception of such new type of service which the royalty rates and terms for preexisting
and ending on the date on which the royalty rates and subscription digital audio transmission services, eligible
terms for preexisting subscription digital audio nonsubscription services, or new subscription
transmission services or preexisting satellite digital services, as the case may be, most recently determined
radio audio services, as the case may be, most recently under subparagraph (A) or (B) and chapter 8 expire, or
determined under subparagraph (A) or (B) and chapter 8 such other period as the parties may agree.
expire, or such other period as the parties may agree.
§ 114(j) New text added at end of § 114(j)(10)
(A) A ‘reasonable recording’ means the making of a
phonorecord embodying all or part of a performance
licensed under this section for private, noncommercial
use where technological measures used by the
transmitting entity, and which are incorporated into a
recording device
(i) permit automated recording or playback based on
specific programs, time periods, or channels as selected
by or for the user;
(ii) do not permit automated recording or playback based
on specific sound recordings, albums, or artists;
(iii) do not permit the separation of component segments
of the copyrighted material contained in the transmission
program which results in the playback of a manipulated
sequence; and
(iv) do not permit the redistribution, retransmission or
other exporting of a phonorecord embodying all or part
of a performance licensed under this section from the
device by digital outputs or removable media, unless the
destination device is part of a secure in-home network
that also complies with each of the requirements in this
paragraph.
(B) Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent a consumer
from engaging in non-automated manual recording and
playback in a manner that is not an infringement of
copyright.
§ 804(b)(3)(C)(i) § 804(b)(3)(C)(i)
(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, (i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter,
this subparagraph shall govern proceedings commenced this subparagraph shall govern proceedings commenced
pursuant to section 114 (f)(1)(C) and 114 (f)(2)(C) pursuant to section 114 (f)(1)(C) and 114 (f)(2)(C)
concerning new types of services. concerning new types of services.





Current Statute Statute as Amended by the Perform Act
§ 804(b)(3)(C)(iv) § 804(b)(3)(C)(iv)
The rates and terms shall remain in effect for the period The rates and terms shall remain in effect for the period
set forth in section 114(f)(1)(C) or 114(f)(2)(C), as the set forth in section 114(f)(1)(C) or 114(f)(2)(C), as the
case may be. case may be.
Kate M. Manuel Brian T. Yeh
Legislative Attorney
byeh@crs.loc.gov, 7-5182