Washington — The Department of Justice announced today that it has concluded its multi-year review of the ASCAP and BMI consent decrees, and that it will refrain from altering the pro-competition provisions. The Computer & Communications Industry Association has been committed to fighting for effective competition and antitrust laws for decades, and had filed comments two years ago asking DOJ to strengthen and uphold the consent decrees for ASCAP and BMI.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“ASCAP and BMI control 90 percent of the music marketplace, so keeping the current protections against anticompetitive behavior is important. After a multi-year investigation and talking to a wide variety of stakeholders, the Department of Justice wisely decided not to modify the ASCAP and BMI consent decrees. This is an important decision that will help promote competition and protect users and consumers of music. The DOJ also clarified that those who purchase blanket licenses from ASCAP and BMI have the unlimited right to these organizations’ songs.”
For more on the DOJ decision, including its finding on “fractional licensing,” see Ali Sternburg’s blog post on the Disruptive Competition Project: http://www.project-disco.org/intellectual-property/080416-doj-decision-on-consent-decrees-and-fractional-licensing-good-news-for-competitive-music-marketplace/