Marilyn Bergman, President and
Chairman of the Board
 |
Marilyn Bergman, President and Chairman of the Board |
|
The importance of the Supreme Court cannot be overstated. Its rulings affect practically every aspect of our lives – our civil liberties, our civil rights, our rights as copyright holders and creators.
In a landmark decision on June 27 in MGM Studios vs. Grokster, the Supreme Court sided 9-0 in favor of copyright holders and against peer-topeer software providers such as Grokster, Kazaa and StreamCast. This unanimous decision sends a clear message that P2P enterprises cannot use the intellectual property of songwriters, composers and other copyright owners as start-up capital for their businesses. The P2P business model relies on the use of our music, as well as movies and other creative works, without permission or payment to the creators and copyright owners, and therefore is outright theft.
On behalf of all ASCAP members - and there are now over 210,000 of us - I hope that this decision will strengthen the public understanding and respect for our right as America's creators to make a living from our work, which so enriches the nation and the world. This is one of ASCAP’s most important missions, and it will be helped by this Supreme Court decision.
This issue of Playback features coverage of several of ASCAP’s recent award shows, where we honored the writers and publishers of the most performed songs in the genres of pop, country, film and television music, rhythm and soul, theater, concert and Christian music. I would like to congratulate all of this year's winners on your welldeserved recognition. To have your music embraced by thousands, perhaps millions of listeners, is truly an achievement.
