Sound Record Producers\u27 Rights and the Problem of Sound Recording Piracy

This paper will describe some current issues and developments that are of relevance to sound recordings protection, as they are experienced and debated in industry and among customers, as well as policy making bodies. The paper’s focus is on the historical development of sound recordings protection under United States Copyright law. In Part II, this paper will explore early federal and state law protections for sound recordings, including the Copyright Act of 1909, common law protections, and state statutes. This section also will trace the development of proposals for a federal statute granting express copyright protection for sound recordings. In Part III, this paper will examine the 1971 Sound Recording Amendment, particularly the scope of protection afforded for sound recordings. In Part IV, the paper will review some recent forms of sound recording piracy that occur over the Internet with the development of digital technologies, recent litigation, and alternative solutions technology can offer against piracy. Finally, in Part V it will examine the available remedies in federal law against sound recording piracy