Photo Credit: Library of Congress by Tomasz Zielonka
Music organizations pen a letter about maintaining the Library of Congress and US Copyright Office under the control of the Legislative Branch.
The Songwriters Guild of America, the Society of Composers & Lyricists, and Music Creators North America have banded together to pen a letter to members of Congress regarding the importance of maintaining the Library of Congress and the US Copyright Office under the jurisdiction of the Legislative Branch. The letter follows a string of firings orchestrated by President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE at the Library of Congress and US Copyright Office.
“This is yet another existential matter for the American and global music industries, and one about which the independent music creator cannot remain silent,” said attorney Charles J. Sanders in a statement to Digital Music News.
The music organizations’ letter begins by applauding the letter recently sent by members of the House Committee on Administration earlier in the week, requesting that the Inspector General of the Library of Congress investigate the firings orchestrated by the Executive Branch without cause.
“At roughly the same time that House of Representatives letter was being drafted and delivered to the Library of Congress […], Senate Majority Leader John Thune was expressing concern over the need for greater consultation with the Executive Branch over the issue, hinting that the firings could potentially represent overreach by the Executive Branch into sacrosanct areas of Article I Congressional authority, duties, and responsibilities,” the letter reads.
“Respectfully, it is our belief that a matter that engenders this level of bi-partisan and bi-cameral Congressional concern over separation of powers also calls for timely hearings to examine the various, complex issues raised by these actions. Moreover, while the motivations for the firings remain unclear, the circumstances surrounding them are acutely troubling to the creative community.
“It has been widely and plausibly speculated, based upon the statements and actions of the principals involved, that the discharges of the Librarian and Register were orchestrated by the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and seemingly designed to set the stage for weakening copyright protection in the era of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).
“More specifically, DOGE’s policies in this regard appear clearly to be an overreach of its intended authority, influenced by those who stand to financially benefit from the substantial elimination of copyright protections in the United States, starting with the debasement of the Library of Congress (LOC) and the US Copyright Office (USCO).
“By way of illustration, technology industry leader Jack Dorsey recently issued a statement urging that American and global IP protection laws be ‘deleted,’ presumably in favor of free access to copyrighted works for GenAI uses such as preparing and distributing derivative musical compositions and recordings in direct competition with the original creators.
“Unfortunately for America’s creators and copyright holders, DOGE’s leadership actually appears sympathetic to Dorsey’s calls, choosing to discount the facts that private, multi-national tech companies would thereby stand to benefit to the tune of billions of dollars in windfall profits by avoiding fair market value licensing fees, and stripping copyrighted works of protections in GenAI contexts that would make them freely available to all foreign GenAI competitors, not provide American tech firms with competitive advantages.
“In sum, such a strategy of copyright dilution pushed by anti-property tech privateers, including a take-over of American IP policy through the LOC and USCO, would cause catastrophic damage primarily to US culture and commerce without benefit to anyone but multinational tech corporations seeking to evade royalty obligations.
“In evaluating whether such actions truly pose a significant danger to the American creative community and to the US economy, we ask on behalf of those most skeptical whether it is mere coincidence that the attempted firing at the USCO occurred almost immediately after a draft version of a USCO report was issued concluding that the unauthorized ‘training’ of GenAI systems on existing copyrighted works will likely not qualify as ‘fair use.’
“We need not belabor the point that these events were almost certainly linked, and potentially intended to send a message that there will be negative ramifications for future, pro-copyright government policy and decision-makers. One might also inquire under such circumstances what the total value of the music and entertainment industries is to the United States economy, and whether it is a sector worth protecting.
“In answer to that question, it should be noted that over the past century and a half, American composers, songwriters, and recording artists have not just led the world in musical creativity. They have utterly dominated that space during a golden era of excellence that continues to this day.”
The letter concludes by urging all Members of Congress to take steps to preserve creative incentivizations under the protection of the Legislative Branch. Further, the letter stresses the importance of not permitting the technology sector, via Musk’s DOGE, to endanger “one of America’s most important streams of export income.”
Feature Story, Music Industry News, Music Streaming, Politics, Pop Culture
This post was originally authored and published by Ashley King Digital Music News via RSS Feed. Join today to get your news feed on Nationwide Report®.
