[Dixielandjazz] Fw: Senate Piracy Bill Gains Momentum

[Bob Romans]

Piracy Bill Gains MomentumThis came for my Musician's card carrying wife, Carole...





                    From the AFM's Legislative Office 
           
                  Dear carole,

                   On Thursday, May 20th the EnFORCE Act, S. 1933, was reported out of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.  This bill, sponsored by Senators Hatch, Cornyn and Feinstein, helps our members in three fundamental ways.  First, it expands the current antitrust exemption that the music industry has to DVDs and other new forms of distributing music for the purposes of negotiating mechanical royalty rates in these developing markets. 


                  Secondly, the EnFORCE Act allows a court, when computing statutory damages for copyright violations, to determine that all the parts of a compilation or derivative work do not constitute one work but rather should be considered as separate, individual works if the court concludes that they have distinct, independent, economic value from one another. 


                  Finally, this bill beefs up intellectual property enforcement at the Department of Justice (DOJ).  The bill stipulates that any unit within the DOJ that is responsible for investigating intellectual property crimes is assigned at least one full-time agent to support the investigative unit.  That agent must have received specific and proper training for dealing with intellectual property crimes.  To support the enhanced enforcement of copyright law, the EnFORCE Act allocates an additional $5 million a year for the next five years to the DOJ. 


                  The bill has now been placed on the Senate's Legislative Calendar and is waiting debate and eventually a vote by the full chamber. 


                  Sincerely, 


                  Hal Ponder
                  Director of Government Relations




                                                                                                             

                 


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