Senate Judiciary Committee Unanimous Approval of S. 3804, a Bill to Combat Web Sites Profiting from Digital Theft

November 18, 2010


Statement from NMPA President and CEO David Israelite

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 18, 2010

“Music publishers and songwriters today applaud the work of the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance legislation that takes on digital theft. This growing and complex problem affects a multitude of American industries and it’s time for our federal policy to catch up. This reasonable bill gives federal law enforcement much-needed tools to help them effectively go after and shut down web site operators that profit illegally from the work of others. Although this is just one step in a lengthy process, it is a welcome and important signal that a strong, bipartisan majority is working together to move this bill forward.”

Background

S. 3804 was unanimously passed today by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill was introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT). It aims to provide federal lawmakers better, more effective tools to shut down web site operators that facilitate and profit from digital theft. Data collected by the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (“IFPI”) shows that worldwide, more than 40 billion songs were illegally downloaded via file sharing in just 2008, which translates into a global online music piracy rate of more than 95%. An analysis by the Institute for Policy Innovation concludes that global music piracy causes $12.5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U.S. jobs lost, a loss of $2.7 billion in workers' earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes. Information about this legislation: http://leahy.senate.gov/press/press_releases/release/?id=E26C01C9-E291-4BD3-9912-80DCA46A75F6

About the NMPA

Founded in 1917, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) is the trade association representing American music publishers and their songwriting partners. The NMPA’s mandate is to protect and advance the interests of music publishers and songwriters in matters relating to the domestic and global protection of music copyrights.