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Music Site Ruled Not 'Interactive' Enough

By Mark Hamblett
September 29, 2009

A Webcasting service that provides users with individualized Internet radio stations is not required to pay licensing fees to copyright holders of the songs the service plays, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

The circuit found that, as a matter of law, the service that provides the stations in which content is affected by customers' ratings of titles, artists and albums, is not “interactive” enough to impose the fees. Instead, it is only required to pay a statutory licensing fee as set by the Copyright Royalty Board.

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