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ARTICLE · 10 OCTOBER 2018

The Music Modernization Act: A Copyright Update For A Digital Age

Osha Liang LLP
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The United States Congress has passed the Orrin G. Hatch Music Modernization Act of 2018 ("MMA"), which now heads to President Trump for his signature.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Louis Bonham
Louis Bonham
James Carlson
James Carlson

The United States Congress has passed the Orrin G. Hatch Music Modernization Act of 2018 ("MMA"), which now heads to President Trump for his signature. The U.S. Senate renamed the bill in honor of retiring Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, the bill's sponsor and also a fellow songwriter. The bill includes a previous version of the MMA passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and the Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service, & Important Contributions to Society Act ("CLASSICS Act"). In particular, the CLASSICS Act extends copyright protection to pre-1972 sound recordings. The MMA also includes the Allocation for Music Producers Act ("AMP Act") that codifies various practices allowing artists to share royalties with producers and other creative participants that worked on a sound recording.

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