Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/377629
SAGAFTRA.org | Summer 2014 | SAG-AFTRA 13 HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO RECEIVE RECORDING ROYALTIES? L ast spring, nearly 2,000 SAG-AFTRA members were identified as potentially having money owed to them through SoundExchange, the independent nonprofit performance rights organization that collects and distributes royalties for streaming of sound recordings on digital platforms such as Pandora, SiriusXM and iHeartRadio. Since then, more than $117,000 has been paid out to just a small group of SAG-AFTRA members who were notified via email and U.S. mail and who contacted SoundExchange to register — either by phone or online. Members notified included actor/performers, comedians and recording artists. SoundExchange is the only organization in the United States authorized to collect royalties on behalf of the performer and rights owner for a sound recording — similar to how ASCAP, BMI and SESAC collect royalties for songwriters and publishers for the underlying musical composition. Unlike these organizations, however, SoundExchange is directed under U.S. Copyright Law to collect performance royalties on behalf of the performers and labels whether or not they are registered with them. This is why SAG-AFTRA is partnering with SoundExchange to notify members of possible unclaimed royalties. In order to collect royalties, members must register with SoundExchange. Because they are authorized by law to collect on your behalf, there is no charge to register or collect your royalties. If you received a notice or believe you may be owed royalties for use of sound recordings on digital platforms, register with SoundExchange today. To register, visit SoundExchange.com or call (800) 961-2091. Members may also contact the Sound Recordings Department at soundrecordings@sagaftra.org or (323) 634-8143. HIGH COURT RULES ON AEREO CASE T he U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling June 25 that Aereo, a company that delivered over-the-air television via the Internet without paying the networks, violated the content providers' rights in the copyrighted works. SAG-AFTRA, which had submitted a brief in support of the networks, applauded the decision, saying it sent a strong message that the court will not permit companies like Aereo to use technical workarounds to evade Congress' intent to protect content creators and owners through the Copyright Act. This decision gives the creative community greater confidence that copyright law cannot be so simply evaded and restores the proper balance to the system. SAG-AFTRA VISITS THE HILL FOR WORLD IP DAY S AG-AFTRA Vice President, Actors/Performers Robert Newman and SAG-AFTRA Chief Deputy General Counsel, Legal & Government Affairs Jeffrey Bennett visited Washington, D.C., on April 23 for a World Intellectual Property Day event presented by the Copyright Alliance and the U.S. Copyright Office. Newman was among the featured participants of the Copyright Matters panel Movies: A Global Passion and discussed the creative components of films and other audiovisual works. "The days are gone of the traditional format of television or feature film. Now, people are not just going to the theater to see a movie or not just turning on their television to see a television show, they're turning on iPhones and iPads and watching on all kinds of different platforms, and that creates all kinds of different challenges for us," Newman told the Copyright Alliance. "For me as an actor, it changes the way that I look at projects that I do because I need to work through where those projects are going to go and where they're going to be seen and how they're going to be seen." Taking place every April 26, World Intellectual Property Day marks the anniversary of the formation of the World Intellectual Property Rights Organization Convention in 1970 and focuses on the issues and laws surrounding intellectual property rights. "This year's World IP Day focused on the role movies play in global culture, underscoring the importance of protecting this cultural asset, particularly with the rapid advancement of technology allowing expanded and immediate access to our members' work," said Danielle Van Lier, SAG-AFTRA's senior counsel, Intellectual Property and Contracts. SAG-AFTRA Chief Deputy General Counsel, Legal & Government Affairs Jeffrey Bennett, left, and SAG-AFTRA Vice President, Actors/ Performers Robert Newman at the Capitol April 23.