Skip to main content
HR 4079 113th Congress House Commerce Contracts and agency Intellectual property Judges Music Sound recording

Songwriter Equity Act of 2014

Introduced: February 25, 2014 See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 113th Congress ended
It never became law before the 113th Congress (2013–2014) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 20, 2014
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Feb 25, 2014
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 25, 2014
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Songwriter Equity Act of 2014 - Amends federal copyright law regarding the exclusive rights of sound recording copyright owners to remove a provision that prohibits license fees payable for the public performance of sound recordings, by means of a digital audio transmission, from being taken into account in any administrative, judicial, or other governmental proceeding to set or adjust the royalties payable to copyright owners of musical works for the public performance of their works.

Requires Copyright Royalty Judges (CRJs), when setting royalty rates under the compulsory license available for the reproduction and distribution of musical works (commonly referred to as a "mechanical license"), to establish rates and terms that most clearly represent the rates and terms that would have been negotiated in the marketplace between a willing buyer and seller.

Requires CRJs, in establishing such rates and terms, to base their decision on marketplace, economic, and use information presented by the participants. Allows consideration of comparable uses and circumstances under voluntary license agreements.

What's happening now March 20, 2014

Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4079: Songwriter Equity Act of 2014. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-4079/
MLA
"H.R. 4079: Songwriter Equity Act of 2014." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-4079/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4079, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-4079/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4079: Songwriter Equity Act of 2014](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-4079/)
Report a problem