Copyright Office Issues A Ruling On The MMC’s Late Fee Debate

WASHINGTON D.C. (CelebrityAccess) — The U.S. Copyright Office has provided an update on the rules regarding under the Music Modernization Act for late fees under the blanket statutory mechanical license.
The so-called interpretive ruling follows a request from earlier from stakeholders who were seeking clarification regarding when royalty payments should be considered late, thus triggering late fees assessments.
According to the Copyright Office, interested parties raised questions about regulations governing the reporting by digital music providers under the Music Modernization Act’s blanket license affected the Act’s due date provisions.
However, the Copyright Office, after soliciting outside opinions, and a careful consideration of the relevant statutes, as well as the legislative history and public comments surrounding the debate, ruled that the current provisions are not ambiguous.
As a result, the Copyright Office will not issue any additional regulations on the topic and is terminating its current notification of inquiry.