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S 2321 113th Congress Senate

Songwriter Equity Act of 2014

Official title: A bill to amend title 17, United States Code, to ensure fairness in the establishment of certain rates and fees under sections 114 and 115 of such title, and for other purposes.

Introduced: June 2, 2014 See on congress.gov
Commerce Contracts and agencyIntellectual propertyJudgesMusicSound recording
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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 12, 2014
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
May 12, 2014
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action May 12, 2014

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 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.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2321: Songwriter Equity Act of 2014. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2321/
MLA
"S. 2321: Songwriter Equity Act of 2014." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2321/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2321, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2321/.
Markdown link
[S. 2321: Songwriter Equity Act of 2014](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2321/)
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