CONGRESS SEEKS
"WORK FOR HIRE" REPEAL

Congress reconvened from summer vacation Wednesday (9/6) with the introduction of legislation to repeal a controversial 1999 provision that classifies sound recordings as "works for hire."

The legislation would reinstate a provision of the Copyright Act of 1976 allowing recording artists to

reclaim rights to their original master recordings after 35 years. The act was to take effect in 1978, putting recordings back in the hands of the original artists starting in 2013.

Last year, the original provision was overturned through a controversial amendment inserted in an unrelated Satellite Home View Improvement Act. A group of artists protested the measure, contending it would prevent them from reclaiming the master recordings.

Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC), chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on courts and intellectual property, co-authored the bill with Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA). Coble is urging lawmakers to act before Congress adjourns in October.

The Recording Industry Association of America is backing the legislation. The organization worked with a coalition of artists toward a compromise in the repeal language.

RIAA spokesman Doug Curry said: "We are pleased that chairman Coble and Congressman Berman have introduced legislation that resolves this issue, and we look forward to working with the artists to see it enacted this year."

The measure is expected to win approval in the House Judiciary Committee next week.