ACCESS to Recordings Act

2018-05-23

Introduced in Senate

Accessibility for Curators, Creators, Educators, Scholars, and Society to Recordings Act or ACCESS to Recordings Act

This bill provides for federal copyright protection to sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, which are currently only covered by state law.

The bill also establishes the length of the protection term for various categories of pre-1972 recordings.

To be eligible for statutory damages or attorneys' fees for infringement of a pre-1972 recording, the work must be registered no later than one year after this bill's effective date.

For the first three years after the bill's effective date, the copyright owner of pre-1972 recordings is eligible for statutory damages or attorneys' fees only if it notifies the alleged infringer of the recording's copyright registration and the allegedly infringing acts. The copyright owner may file its lawsuit after 180 days, if the alleged infringement has not ceased.

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