Canadian Settlement

CANADIAN CONTENT: A $47m settlement has been negotiated in a class action lawsuit in Canada regarding "pending" mechanical royalties owed by the labels to music publishers and copyright owners. The lawsuit was brought in the name of the estate of the late jazz trumpet great Chet Baker on behalf of all copyright owners whose songs had been reproduced by the four major labels on their products without mechanical licenses. The decision will be approved at an upcoming hearing before the Court to ensure the distribution of the money being held by the labels and to revamp the mechanical licensing process so that the problem of unpaid "pending" royalties does not recur. For more on the decision, download the PDF file here. (1/10p)