Leading Legal Scholar Questions Radical Measures To “Streamline” Music Licensing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2008
Leading Legal Scholar Questions Radical Measures to “Streamline” Music Licensing on the Internet at GW Law Symposium
The George Washington University Creative and Innovative Economy Center Hosts Series of Conferences Examining Creative Industries in Transition
WASHINGTON – Noted scholars will gather to discuss intellectual property rights and how these laws are changing in a series of symposia entitled, “Creative Industries in Transition: New Directions for the Digital Era.” The first symposium, held today at the GW Law School, featured presentations and discussions by academics, musicians, government officials, and politicians.
In its inaugural symposium, Robert P. Merges, the Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich, and Rosarti Professor of Law and Technology at the University of California, Berkeley, warned that the proposed changes to the music copyright system would restructure the role of performing rights organizations and potentially render them useless. He said that such action would risk a songwriter’s ability to earn a living from performance, thus limiting the amount of potential creative growth.
“Congress risks gumming up a licensing mechanism that helped songwriters earn a living for over a century,” said Ralph Oman, GW Pravel Professorial Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law. “Congress should read Professor Merges’s paper carefully, and they should listen to the songwriters, who ultimately should decide how they want to enforce their rights in the digital age.”
Grammy-winning songwriter and respected independent music publisher Dennis Morgan said, “The performing rights system set up under United States copyright law has made it possible for generations of songwriters to pursue their craft and create the music that is now recognized as a significant part of American culture and one of America’s most important cultural and economic exports. In the challenging times music creators face today, the performing rights organizations are an oasis of stability and economic security. I have never seen a proposal for a new system that would improve on the one that is working so well for us today.”
Congressman Howard Coble (R-NC), delivered the keynote address at today’s symposium. The Honorable Marybeth Peters, register of copyrights, 1994 – present; Robert Brauneis, co-director of the Intellectual Property Law Program at GW; and Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, also provided commentary on Merges’ paper.
The symposia and research presented are co-sponsored by Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). BMI is an American performing rights organization representing more than 375,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers, and a catalog of more than 6.5 million musical works.
The George Washington University Law School Intellectual Property Law Program has been a leader in intellectual property education and research for over a century. It offers education for J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. students in Washington, D.C. and Munich, Germany, and presents programs and symposia around the world.
The George Washington University Law School’s Creative and Innovative Economy Center believes creativity and innovation are critical tools in fighting poverty around the world, eradicating disease, and improving the quality of human life through the arts and technology. The center conducts research and organizes educational programs that demonstrate how creativity and innovation drives global economic and cultural development and contributes to breakthroughs in healthcare.
A copy of Merges’s paper and full information about the symposium can be accessed at www.newcopyrightera.org.
For more information about the CIEC, visit www.law.gwu.edu/ciec.
For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.
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