HOUSE PASSES
WORK-FOR-HIRE BILL
The introduction of the bill sparked congressional hearings in May attended by top-selling recording artists and industry heavies.
Under copyright law, a "work for hire" is considered the property of the employer and comes in two types. The first is specified by contract or the traditional employer-employee relationship. The second is a work that is "specifically ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work."
The bipartisan bill, which would reinstate the rights of artists to reclaim future recording rights, now goes to the Senate, where approval is expected as early as next week. Artists hope to get the Senate to offer "unanimous consent" in approving the act, which would then move the bill to President Clinton.
By repealing the amendment, recording artists will again be allowed to stake a claim to their master recordings for works created after 1978. If the bill is approved by the Senate and signed by the President, artists can reclaim their master recordings in 2013.
The original amendment was approved last year as a rider on the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act that received strong backing from the RIAA. After the bill was signed into law, recording artists became outraged, and the RIAA stepped back from the controversy. After a month of negotiations, the RIAA and the artists groups reached a joint agreement to repeal the law (hitsdailydouble.com, 6/20, 8/9).
Artists and their reps will now begin talks with senators today (9/20) in hopes of gaining approval.
"We were pleased that the House acted so swiftly to address this very important matter and look forward to Senate consideration prior to the conclusion of this Congress," RIAA topper hilary rosen',390,400);">hilary rosen',390,400);">Hilary Rosen said in a statement. "The book needs to be closed on this issue so we can get back to a united industry on so many important challenges of the day."
Rosen was heard adding, "Between rampant piracy concerns and online copyright criminals like Napster and MP3.com, who has time for this work-for-hire crap…"
