Top of page
Posted by: Holland Gormley
The following is a guest post by Regan A. Smith, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights. The Music Modernization Act (MMA) is a historic overhaul to the nation’s music copyright laws. As you may already know, the law creates a new blanket license covering the reproduction and distribution of musical works, to be administered …
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by: Holland Gormley
You may have already heard about the Music Modernization Act, or the MMA for short. But do you know how the law will affect the way you get paid?
Posted in: legislation, music, Uncategorized, Website
Posted by: Karyn A. Temple
If asked, many of us would easily be able to identify our favorite song or tune, and often to even quote verbatim (e.g., sing embarrassingly off-key) the actual bridge, melody, or lyrics that made that song so special. Whether it is the way a song made us laugh or reflected our innermost desires and fears, …
Posted in: Copyright, music, Register of Copyrights, Uncategorized
Posted by: George Thuronyi
The following is a guest post by Regan A. Smith, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights. “When modes of music change, the fundamental laws of the state always change with them.” Plato, the Republic Book IV (Jowett tr.) Following unanimous votes in the House of Representatives and the Senate, today the President signed the …
Posted in: Copyright, music, Uncategorized
Posted by: George Thuronyi
The following is a guest post by Jason E. Sloan, attorney advisor, Office of General Counsel. Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the Music Modernization Act (H.R. 5447) by an impressive vote of 415 to 0. Why is this important? Because if the bill is passed by the Senate and enacted into law, …
Posted in: Copyright, legislation, music
Posted by: Holland Gormley
Attention songwriters and publishers: did you know that under the Music Modernization Act, you may be owed royalties for the use of your musical works on interactive streaming services? Read on to learn the difference between “Mechanical,” “Unmatched,” and “Historical” royalties.
Posted in: music
Posted by: Ann Tetreault
This blog post is adapted from an article written by Copyright Office staff that was originally published in WIPO Magazine’s special edition on Music and IP, April 2025, a publication of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The capabilities of the latest generative AI technologies raise significant questions about the nature and scope of human …
Posted in: artificial intelligence, Copyright, Copyright for All, engage your creativity, international, music, WIPO, World IP Day
Posted by: Nora Scheland
This blog post introduces the U.S. Copyright Office’s newest Learning Engine video, “History of Copyright,” which chronicles the history of copyright and the Copyright Office. The Office has released the video, and this blog post, timed with the 234th anniversary of the Congressional bill that eventually became the first federal copyright law.
Posted in: Choreography, compendium, Copyright, copyright in education, Copyright Matters, education, engage your creativity, Find Yourself in Copyright, historical, Inside the Copyright Office, international, legislation, literature, music, Music Modernization Act, News and Events, photography, Poetry, Registration, video, Visual Arts, Website
Posted by: Holland Gormley
Let’s face it. This past year has been tough in many ways. For the music community, this has been especially true. There is one bright spot. On January 1, 2021, big updates were made to the way songwriters can get paid when their music is played online via interactive streaming and download services. Specifically, the …
Posted in: Copyright, legislation, music, Uncategorized