Copyright term extension: Boon for American creators and the American economy

Journal of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A.

Volumn 45, Issue 3, 1998, Pages 319-327

  Miller, Arthur R ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 0038867441     PISSN: 08863520     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (37)

1. Hon. Hank Brown & David Miller, Copyright Term Extension: Sapping American Creativity, 44 J. COPYRIGHT L. SOC'Y OF THE U.S 94 (1996) ("Brown & Miller").
2. Testimony and written statements in support of term extension bills have been received by Congress from, among others, Jack Valenti, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Motion Picture Association of America; Alan Mencken, composer, lyricist and representative of AmSong; the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; the Coalition of Creators and Copyright Owners; the Graphic Artists Guild; and the National Writers Union. See S. Rep. 315, 104 Cong., 2d Sess. at 5 (1996)(referring to hearings on S. 483 before the Senate Comm. on the Judiciary, 104th Cong., 1st Sess. (1995)).
3. See the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, H.R. 2589, 105th Cong., 2d Sess. (1998). This bill supersedes the proposed Copyright Term Extension Act of 1997, H.R. 604, H.R. 1621, S. 505, 105th Cong., 1st Sess. (1997) Before his death Congressman Bono had introduced his own Copyright Term Extension Act of 1997. H.R. 1621, 105th Cong., 1st Sess. (1997).
4. Brown & Miller, supra note 1, at 95.
5. See Council Directive 93/98 EEC of October 29, 1993, 1993 OL J 290 ("EU Directive").
6. See Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (Sept. 9, 1886, revised in 1908, 1928, 1948, 1967, and 1971)("Berne Convention").
7. Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, H.R. 2589, 105th Cong., 1st Sess. (1997).
8. See H.R. 2589, 105th Cong., 1st Sess. (1997)(adding a subsection (d) to § 304 of the Copyright Act, permitting an individual, non-work-for-hire author of a work to terminate, for the extended twenty years of copyright, transfers or licenses executed prior to January 1, 1978, provided the author has not previously exercised a termination right).
9. See Brown & Miller supra note 1, at 96, 99; The Copyright Term Extension Act of 1995: Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, 104th Cong. 21-22 (1995)(statement of Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights and Associate Librarian of Congress for Copyright Services).
10. See Brown & Miller supra note 1, at 96, 99; The Copyright Term Extension Act of 1995: Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, 104th Cong. 21-22 (1995)(statement of Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights and Associate Librarian of Congress for Copyright Services).
11. See proposed amendments to 17 U.S.C. § 108, in H.R. 2589, §104.
12. Copyright Term Extension Act, 104th Cong., at 17-18 (1995); Brown & Miller at 101.
13. Copyright Term Extension Act, 104th Cong., at 17-18 (1995); Brown & Miller at 101.
14. U.S. Const., Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 8.
15. Act of May 31, 1790, 1st Cong., 2d Sess., 1 Stat. 124.
16. See S. Rep. 104-315, at 3-4 (1966).
17. 347 U.S. 201, 217 (1954).
18. Brown & Miller supra note 1, at 94.
19. Copyright Term, Film Labeling, and Film Preservation Legislation: Hearings Before the Subcomm. on Courts and Intellectual Property of the House of Reps. Comm. on the Judiciary on H.R. 989, H.R. 1248, and H.R. 1734, 104th Cong., 1st Sess. 133 (statement of Michael Weller, screenwriter and playwright, June 1, 1995).
20. Brown & Miller supra note 1, at 95-96.
21. Musical works are particularly inapt to demonstrate limitations on the availability of copyrighted works. Under Section 15 of the Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 115), once recordings of a musical work are initially distributed, anyone may obtain a compulsory license to record and sell their own recordings of the work, simply by serving a notice and paying an insignificant amount in royalties. And under the antitrust consent decrees that govern performing rights societies, any user may obtain a license if he is willing to pay a "reasonable" license fee. United States v. ASCAP, 1940-1943 Trade Cases ¶ 56,104 (S.D.N.Y. 1941), amended, 1950-1951 Trade Cases ¶ 62,595 (S.D.N.Y. 1950); United States v. BMI, 1940-1943 Trade Cases ¶ 56,096 (E.D. Wis. 1941). See also United States v. BMI, 1966 Trade Cases ¶ 71,941 (S.D.N.Y. 1966).
22. See Brown & Miller supra note 1, at 98-99.
23. EU Directive, Art. 1.
24. Id. Art. 7.
25. Id.
26. S. Rep. 104-315, at 7 (1996) .
27. Id. (citing the Statement of Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights, in Congressional hearings on S. 483).
28. Copyright Term Extension Act, 104th Cong., at 20 (1995)(statement of Marybeth Peters).
29. EU Directive, Recital (2).
30. Copyright Term Extension Act, 104th Cong., at 8 (1995)(statement of Marybeth Peters).
31. Id. at 20.
32. See Id. at 26 (statement of Bruce Lehman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks).
33. Copyright Industries in the U.S. Economy: The 1996 Report, prepared by Stephen E. Siwek and Gale Mosteller of Economists Incorporated.
34. Id.
35. See Copyright Term Extension Act, 104th Cong., at 25 (1995)(statement of Bruce Lehman).
36. S. Rep. No. 104-315 at 12-13 (1996).
37. Brown & Miller supra note 1, at 97-99.