The Podcasting Rule Book (UK)

The Register (UK) has an article reporting a licensing scheme for those podcasting music involving The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Performing Right Society (PRS). In addition to a licensing fee, the agreement itemizes detailed requirements and prohibitions. Podcasters will be obliged not to:

• produce podcasts that contain recordings from a single artist or that have more than 30 per cent of the musical works written by the same composer or writing partnership;
• play any individual track more than once in any single programme;
• provide an electronic guide to the podcast which contains tracks played and corresponding times;
• insert any flags or other markers in the podcast which may directly indicate or which may be used to indirectly infer the start and end point of tracks or segments of copyright content;
• incorporate repertoire works into advertising; or
• use the repertoire in such a way as may be taken to imply that any goods or services are endorsed, advertised or associated with the repertoire or any artist whose performance is contained on the repertoire or any other party who owns rights in connection with the repertoire.

Comments

[Dennis D. McDonald]

Bob-

You might want to make the point that these rules refer to music, although the original article does make reference to the fact that rules for spoken recordings will be released in April 2006.

When I read your article I immediately thought about spoken works (e.g., such as those I am involved with through The Podcast Roundtable at www.podcastroundtable.com) but that was not appear to be the intent of this proposal (yet).

- Dennis