Small Webcasters Blast Copyright Royalty Board
Small commercial webmasters joined National Public Radio and digital music services on Monday in filing a detailed complaint with the Copyright Royalty Board concerning its March ruling to increase royalties paid to music labels for Internet radio.
In addition to reinforcing points raised in their own motion for rehearing, the firms (including Accuradio, ioMedia and Radio Paradise) said the retroactive impact of the board's ruling should be axed. The decision applies to 2006 and lasts until 2010.
The filers also complained that the board failed to adopt a definition of "small webcaster" and took issue with the minimum $500 fee established for each channel or station offered. "The CRB must stay the rate changes it has adopted pending exhaustion of administrative rehearing and judicial review," the group said.
"The board decision is devastating to [small webcasters] as it would require that they pay more than 100 percent of their revenues in most cases, and the application of the new royalties in the manner set out in the board's decision would be inconsistent with the Copyright Act as well," they argued.
In related news, the grassroots campaign Save Net Radio has brought on Qorvis Communications to help spread word of their effort. The coalition of independent webmasters started an online petition urging Congress to take action. So far, more than 37,000 signatures have been collected.
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