【Research Center for the Legal System of Intellectual Property】

Activities

If you listen

Visiting Researcher Toshitaka Kudo

I listen to Internet radio stations when I do writing on holidays at home. They are convenient. In addition, it is very nice to see the song title that I am listening to in one glance. I mostly tune in to, well, run Windows Media Player to get to American stations, which are excellent in terms of both quantity and quality. Recently I found out there was a commercial repeated over and over on the radio. The commercial asks listeners to support the bill called "Internet Radio Equality Act". It says, "the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) decision that drastically increased the royalty rates for playing music on the Internet radio is a faulty ruling because the rates are unfairly high and applied retroactively. Over-the-air radio stations do not pay such royalty to record companies. Compared to the royalty rate for satellite stations, the rate for the Internet radio stations is unfairly high. Majority of small and medium Internet radio stations, which many listeners are enjoying, will go bankrupt because their business become unprofitable due to the new rate. "

Becoming curious about it, I opened my Web browser to look up information on the situation. It was reported that the camp opposing the new rate was asking for an injunction to the court in addition to their political activity to ask senators and representatives of the Congress to co-sponsor the bill. On the other hand, facing strong resistance, the music industry is reportedly considering offering an alternative extending small-sized businesses several years to make payment at the new rate.

The streaming speed slows down and the music plays intermittently, probably because I was too absorbed in searching at the Web browser. I took out my iPod instead, and then recall the discussion about remuneration for audio home recording in Japan. Currently HDD players like iPod are not subject to the remuneration collection; however, the idea to include them to the object of collection just as other medium is taking concrete shape. In this relation, there is a question in terms of impartiality, and furthermore, there remains persistent skepticism about the remuneration system itself. A public comment made in the name of Apple Japan to the Strategic Council on Intellectual Property was just opened to the public. The bitter views in the comment have attracted many attentions. However, it is reported that someone might have disguised as Apple Japan to make that comment.

Regardless of countries, it will be never easy to find out the greatest happiness for the greatest number. If you listen, you hear not only beautiful music but also a lot of voices clashing in search of truth.