CRB Grants Motion Allowing For Possible Rehearing On Internet Royalty Rates

From FMQB:

After petitions and pressure from NPR and other broadcasting organizations, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) has agreed to grant motions for a possible rehearing over the controversial, proposed new Internet radio royalty rates. The decision was formally made late Tuesday and the CRB cited a number of petitions from NPR, DiMA, Sound Exchange and many others.

There is no guarantee that a rehearing will be held, but in the official order, Chief Copyright Royalty Judge James Scott Sledge wrote that the "Copyright Royalty Judges desire to hear the positions of each party on each of the issues raised in these motions." Responses to the motions may be filed no later than April 2, which is also the date that written arguments may be filed on the issues raised by the motions.

Yesterday, DiMA executive director Jonathan Potter summed up his organization's position on the issue by stating, "We do not believe that the Copyright Royalty Board intended to shut down the vast majority of legitimate online radio services immediately when it issued its decision, yet that is the sober reality facing many services." Over the past week, there has been an immediate and vocal reaction to the proposed new royalty rates for Internet radio, with the mainstream media picking up the story around the country.