SENATE VOTES TO REPEAL
"WORK FOR HIRE"
By "Work For Pay" Concept
The bill now goes to President Clinton for signing.
"We were pleased that the Senate acted to address this very important matter and look forward to a signature by the President so that this legislation will become law." Hilary Rosen, president/CEO of the RIAA, said Friday (10/13) in response to the Senate's passage of "Work Made for Hire" legislation. "We said from the beginning we did not intend to change the law and have worked diligently to assure that the issue of work for hire is resolved without prejudice to anyone's position. The book needs to be closed on this issue so we can get back to a united industry on so many important challenges of the day. The resolution is a good one."
The Works Made for Hire and Copyright Corrections Act overturns the controversial "work for hire" law inserted by the RIAA into last year's Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act and returns sound recordings to their current copyright status. (Just search for "works for hire" on hitsdailydouble.com and you'll be treated to dozens of stories—a good project for those sleepless nights.)
Congress decided to repeal the law after high-profile objections by recording artists like Don Henley and Sheryl Crow.
The RIAA and artists groups came to terms after negotiations between the groups helped to smooth out the animosity the amendment caused.
The repeal of the legislation will once again allow recording artists to stake a claim to their master recordings for works created after 1978. If Clinton signs the law, which is likely, artists can begin reclaiming their master recordings in 2013.
