Rich Fiscus
18 Aug 2011 10:36
The National Music Publisher's Association (NMPA) has decided to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube. Neither the NMPA nor YouTube has released details of the settlement, but based on YouTube's history of fighting such suits to the end and winning, they probably didn't have to offer any concessions.
NMPA represents thousands of music publishers for purposes of royalty collection. Through a subsidiary, the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), they collect mechanical royalties for compositions. These are separate from the royalties collected by other organizations for recordings or performances.
NMPA President and CEO David Israelite called the settlement, “a positive conclusion for all parties and one that recognizes and compensates the work of songwriters and publishers going forward.”
On their official blog, YouTube explained what that means:
Going forward, the 46,000 music publishers already affiliated with HFA will be able to license the musical compositions they represent for use by the YouTube community. When these publishers allow YouTube to run ads alongside user generated videos that incorporate their compositions, the publishers, and the songwriters they represent, can make money. We’ll also be working with HFA to invite other publishers to sign up, even if they’re not affiliated with HFA.