Webcaster Settlement Act: Implications

Abstract:     
On October 16, 2008, the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008 (WSA), the latest installment in the dispute regarding royalty fees for the webcasting of sound recordings, was signed into law by President Bush. The WSA removes the notice and approval requirements for parties executing a voluntarily negotiated licensing agreement defining the royalty fees and terms for streaming sound recordings over the Internet. The WSA may be the lifeline that webcasters need to escape the oppressive royalty fee schedule recently imposed by the Copyright Royalty Board.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 4

Keywords: webcaster, copyright, webcast, copyright royalty

JEL Classification: K11

Accepted Paper Series