Designation as a Preexisting Subscription Service, 64639-64647 [E6-18590]

Agencies

• Library of Congress
• Copyright Office
• Copyright Office, Library of Congress

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 213 (Friday, November 3, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 64639-64647]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-18590]


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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Copyright Office

37 CFR Parts 201

[Docket Nos. RF 2006-2 and RF 2006-3]


Designation as a Preexisting Subscription Service

AGENCY: Copyright Office, Library of Congress.

ACTION: Final order.

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SUMMARY: The Copyright Royalty Board, acting pursuant to statute, 
referred a novel question of law to the Register of Copyrights 
concerning the designation of certain digital subscription music 
services as preexisting subscription services. Specifically, the 
Copyright Royalty Board requested a decision by the Register of 
Copyrights regarding whether the universe of preexisting subscription 
services was limited to three specific services. The Register of 
Copyrights, in a timely fashion, transmitted a Memorandum Opinion to 
the Copyright Royalty Board confirming that only three music services 
qualify as a preexisting subscription service for purposes of 
performing a sound recording publicly by means of a subscription 
digital audio transmission pursuant to a statutory license.

DATES: Effective Date: October 20, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Renee Coe, Attorney Advisor, and Tanya 
M. Sandros, Associate General Counsel, Copyright GC/I&R, P.O. Box 
70400, Southwest Station, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 707-
8380. Telefax: (202) 707-8366.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Copyright Royalty and Distribution 
Reform Act of 2004, Congress amended Title 17 to replace the copyright 
arbitration royalty panel with the Copyright Royalty Board (``Board''). 
One of the functions of the new Board is to make determinations and 
adjustments of reasonable terms and rates of royalty payments as 
provided in sections 112(e), 114, 115, 116, 118, 119 and 1004 of the 
Copyright Act. In any case in which a novel question of law concerning 
an interpretation of a provision of the Copyright Act is presented in a 
ratesetting proceeding, the Board has the authority to request a 
decision of the Register of Copyrights (``Register''), in writing, to 
resolve such questions. See17 U.S.C. 802(f)(1)(B)(i). For this purpose, 
a ``novel question of law'' is a question of law that has not been 
determined in prior decisions, determinations, and rulings described in 
Section 803(a) of the Copyright Act.

[[Page 64640]]

    On January 4, 2006, SoundExchange, Inc. (``SoundExchange'') filed a 
motion requesting that the Board refer to the Register of Copyrights a 
novel question of law, concerning, inter alia, the status of ancillary 
music services offered by Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. (``Sirius'') and 
XM Satellite Radio (``XM'') for purposes of utilizing the statutory 
license set forth in Section 114 of the Copyright Act, title 17 of the 
United States Code. On May 4, 2006, SoundExchange filed a second 
motion, again requesting a referral of a novel question of substantive 
law, this time concerning the status of THP Capstar (``Capstar''), a 
company which, according to the SoundExchange motion, had purchased 
some of the assets of DMX, Inc. (``DMX'') -- a company which had been 
operating under the Section 114 statutory license as a preexisting 
service.
    After considering the arguments presented by SoundExchange and the 
replies filed by Sirius, XM, and Capstar, the Board agreed that the 
matters raised by SoundExhange's motions did present a novel question 
of law and agreed to submit the question to the Register. Accordingly, 
on September 20, 2006, the Board transmitted to the Register: (1) two 
Orders, dated August 21, 2006, referring a novel question of law; and 
(2) the Initial and Reply Briefs filed with the Board by SoundExchange, 
Sirius and DMX. The Board's transmittal triggered the 30-day decision 
period prescribed in Section 802 of the Copyright Act. This statutory 
provision states that the Register ``shall transmit his or her decision 
to the Copyright Royalty Judges within 30 days after the Register of 
Copyrights receives all of the briefs or comments of the 
participants.'' See17 U.S.C. 802(f)(1)(B)(i). On October 20, 2006, the 
Register transmitted a Memorandum Opinion to the Board that addressed 
the novel question of law. To provide the public with notice of the 
decision rendered by the Register, the Memorandum Opinion is reproduced 
in its entirety, below.

    Dated: October 26, 2006.
Marybeth Peters,
Register of Copyrights.


Before the
U.S. Copyright Office
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C. 20559

[Docket No. RF 2006-2]
In the Matter of
Adjusting of Rates and Terms for
Preexisting Subscription Services and
Satellite Digital Audio Radio Services

[Docket No. RF 2006-3]
In the Matter of
Digital Performance Right in Sound
Recordings and Ephemeral Recordings
For a New Subscription Service


MEMORANDUM OPINION

I. Introduction

    On September 20, 2006, the Copyright Royalty Board (``Board''), 
acting on requests by SoundExchange, Inc. (``SoundExchange'') and 
pursuant to 17 U.S.C. Sec.  802(f)(1)(B), referred a novel question of 
law\1\ to the Register of Copyrights (``Register'') regarding the 
conditions under which an entity may be a ``preexisting subscription 
service'' under 17 U.S.C. Sec.  114(j)(11). Specifically, the Board 
requested a decision by the Register as to the following:

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    \1\ A ``novel question of law'' is a question of law that has 
not been determined in prior decisions, determinations, and rulings 
described in Section 803(a) of the Copyright Act. See 17 U.S.C. 
Sec.  802(f)(1)(B)(ii).
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     Is the universe of preexisting subscription services--defined 
in 17 U.S.C. Sec.  114(j)(11) as services which perform sound 
recordings by means of noninteractive audio--only subscription 
digital audio transmissions and which were in existence and making 
such transmissions to the public for a fee on or before July 31, 
1998--[limited by]\2\ law to only Muzak (provided over the DiSH 
Network), Music Choice, and DMX?\3\
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    \2\ The bracketed words are omitted in the Board's order for 
Docket No. 2006-01 DSTRA.
    \3\ The Board orders quoted a portion of subparagraph (11). This 
is the entire provision:``A preexisting subscription service'' is a 
service that performs sound recordings by means of noninteractive 
audio-only subscription digital audio transmissions, which was in 
existence and was making such transmissions to the public for a fee 
on or before July 31, 1998, and may include a limited number of 
sample channels representative of the subscription service that are 
made available on a nonsubscription basis in order to promote the 
subscription service.
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    The Board also stated that it ``specifically reserves any questions 
regarding successorship for its own subsequent determination as 
questions of fact or mixed questions of fact and law.''
    In sum, eligibility for a preexisting subscription service license 
is limited to subscription services that satisfy the definition of 17 
U.S.C. Sec.  114(j)(11), which includes being in operation on July 31, 
1998 and continuously operating since that time. In 1998, Congress 
identified those entities which satisfied the definition and were 
eligible at that time as being DMX, Music Choice and the DiSH Network. 
Therefore, today, those same services are the only ones that may 
qualify as being preexisting subscription services, since they are the 
only ones which can satisfy the requirement of being in operation as of 
July 31, 1998. Moreover, for purposes of participating in a rate 
setting proceeding, the term ``preexisting subscription service'' is 
best interpreted as meaning the business entity which operates under 
the statutory license. A determination of whether DMX is the same 
service that was identified by the legislative history in 1998 and has 
operated continuously since that time requires a factual analysis that 
is beyond the scope of the Register's authority for questions presented 
under 17 U.S.C. Sec.  802(f)(1)(B).

II. Background and General Overview

A. Parties and Nature of Dispute

    In Docket No. 2005-5 CRB DTNSRA, SoundExchange, representing 
copyright owners of digital audio sound recordings, alleges that Sirius 
Satellite Radio (hereafter, ``Sirius''), which is a user of sound 
recordings by publicly performing them as digital audio transmissions, 
does not satisfy the eligibility criteria to operate under the Sec.  
114 statutory license as a preexisting subscription service. In Docket 
No. 2006-1 CRB DSTRA, the same dispute is repeated between those two 
parties.\4\ There is an additional party in Docket No. RF 2006-1 CRB 
DSTRA because SoundExchange raises similar objections against DMX, Inc. 
(hereafter, ``DMX''), which also publicly performs digital audio sound 
recordings.
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    \4\ The briefs filed by SoundExchange in the two proceedings are 
identical, as are those filed by Sirius.
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B. Historical Background to Legal Disputes

    The factual allegations are briefly summarized here to put the 
legal arguments in context. However, evaluation of the limited factual 
arguments presented in the briefs are beyond the scope of this decision 
and will not be considered by the Register in rendering her decision on 
the novel question of law referred by the Board. SoundExchange alleges 
that Sirius and DMX are not eligible for a statutory license for 
preexisting subscription services because they are not the entities 
that were in existence and making digital audio transmissions on or 
before July 31, 1998. SoundExchange argues that Sirius is a completely 
different company than Muzak, the entity that is eligible for a 
preexisting subscription service license.

[[Page 64641]]

    DMX bases its eligibility on the fact that it now owns and operates 
the service historically known as DMX. DMX has been continuously 
performing sound recordings by means of digital audio transmission 
since 1986. It is not disputed that, since 1986, the business known as 
DMX changed ownership and was restructured many times, including four 
times since 1998.
    As a subsidiary of Maxide Acquisition, Inc., DMX went into 
bankruptcy proceedings in 2005. The current entity operating as DMX was 
acquired by THP Capstar Acquisition Corp. as part of the bankruptcy 
proceedings. SoundExchange was a party to those proceedings, as a 
creditor to DMX. The current DMX did not assume liability for royalties 
owed to SoundExchange by the DMX business entity that incurred those 
obligations prior to the bankruptcy proceedings. While there is 
agreement on that fact, there appears to be disagreement about the 
nature of the interests acquired by the current entity operating as 
DMX. SoundExchange states that the current business entity that is DMX, 
Inc. is not a successor in interest to the business that previously 
operated as DMX because it acquired some but not all of the DMX 
operations. DMX responds that it acquired assets sufficient to operate 
the DMX subscription service. On June 3, 2005, DMX filed a Notice of 
Use of Sound Recordings Under Statutory License as a preexisting 
subscription service, under the name THP Capstar Acquisition Corp. d/b/
a DMX Music.

C. Legal Background

    1. Statutory Framework: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act
    The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (``DMCA''), enacted in 1998, 
amended the law for the statutory license to perform sound recordings 
as digital audio transmissions by adding the statutory provisions at 
issue here, among other changes. Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 
2891, 2897-99 (Oct. 28, 1998). A major goal of the DMCA is to establish 
a market-based standard for setting royalty rates paid to copyright 
owners for use of their works under the Sec.  114 statutory license. 
This standard, codified at 17 U.S.C. Sec.  114(f)(2)(B), requires that 
rates and terms be set to reflect those that ``would have been 
negotiated in the marketplace between a willing buyer and a willing 
seller.'' This standard must be used to set rates for all services 
making digital transmissions of sound recordings under the Sec.  114 
statutory license, except for the preexisting subscription services. 
Rates for the preexisting subscription services are set based upon the 
statutory factors set forth at 17 U.S.C. Sec.  801(b)(1),\5\ and this 
did not change with the passage of the DMCA. That means that licensees 
operating under the statutory license as preexisting subscription 
services have the right to operate under terms and rates that were 
first set by a Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP)\6\ in May of 
1998, and readjusted in July of 2003,\7\ in accordance with the Sec.  
801(b)(1) standard. Thus, it becomes important to determine which 
services qualify as a preexisting subscription service.
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    \5\ The current provisions of 17 U.S.C. Sec.  801(b)(1) are a 
reenactment of those that were in effect in 1998. The Copyright 
Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2004 completely revised 
Chapter 8 of title 17, United States Code. Pub. L. No. 108-419, 118 
Stat. 2341 (2004). There are only minor differences between the 
language that was in effect for that provision in 1998 and what is 
currently in effect. The provisions of 17 U.S.C. Sec.  802(b)(1) 
that were in effect in 1998 are contained in the Copyright Act of 
1976, Pub. L. No. 94-553, 90 Stat. 2541, 2594 (1976), as amended by 
the Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995, Pub. 
L. No. 104-39, 109 Stat. 336, 348 (1995); Copyright Technical 
Amendments, Pub. L. No. 105-80, 111 Stat. 1529, 1533 (1997) and the 
Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 
2860, 2902 (1998).
    \6\ As part of the changes made by the Copyright Royalty and 
Distribution Reform Act of 2004, the Board, which referred the 
question to the Register under consideration here, replaced the CARP 
system that had been established in 1993 with the passage of the 
Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of 1993, Pub. L. No. 103-198, 
107 Stat. 2304.
    \7\ In 1995, Congress established the digital performance right 
for sound recordings subject to certain limitations including a 
statutory license. Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act 
of 1995 (``DPRSRA''), Pub. L. No. 104-39, 109 Stat. 336 (1995). A 
subscription digital audio service could operate under the statutory 
license to publicly perform sound recordings by means of a digital 
audio transmission. provided that the service satisfied certain 
conditions. One of the conditions was to pay a royalty that would be 
determined by a CARP with reference to four objectives set forth at 
17 U.S.C. Sec.  801(b)(1). The initial rate setting proceeding began 
in 1996, early in the history of services making digital audio 
transmissions. The entities that participated in the proceedings as 
services making digital audio transmissions were Muzak, Digital 
Cable Radio Associates (operating under the trade name Music Choice) 
and DMX, Inc. (which merged into TCI Music, Inc. during the 
proceeding). See Determination of Reasonable Rates and Terms for the 
Digital Performance of Sound Recordings, 63 Fed. Reg. 25,394 (May 8, 
1998). In that proceeding, the CARP ultimately concluded that, at 
that time in the development of those types of services, it set a 
low rate favoring the license holders ``because a rate set toward 
the high end would thwart the statutory objectives under current 
market conditions. The CARP expressly noted that a future CARP may 
reach an entirely different result based on the then-current 
economic state of the industry and new information on the Services' 
impact on the marketplace.'' Id. at 25,405. These rates and terms 
were adjusted in 2003 in accordance with an agreement negotiated by 
the interested parties. See 68 Fed. Reg. 4744 (January 30, 2003) and 
68 Fed. Reg. 39,837 (July 3, 2003).
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    While the statute does not specifically identify which services 
meet the statutory definition of a preexisting subscription service, 
the DMCA conference report states very specifically that there are 
three services that satisfy the definition of a preexisting 
subscription service and identifies each service by name several times 
throughout the report. H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 105-796, at 80-81 and 89 
(1998). At one place, the report states:

     There was [sic] only three such services that exist: DMX 
(operated by TCI Music), Music Choice (operated by Digital Cable 
Radio Associates), and the DiSH Network (operated by Muzak). As of 
July 31, 1998, DMX and Music Choice made transmissions via both 
cable and satellite media; the DiSH Network was available only via 
satellite.

Id. at 81.
And again, in its comments about the procedures in 17 U.S.C. Sec.  
114(f)(1) for determining reasonable rates and terms for the 
preexisting services, the conference report identifies each service 
that qualifies as a preexisting service:

     The conferees note that this subsection applies only to the 
three services considered preexisting subscription services, DMX, 
Music Choice and the DiSH Network, and the two services considered 
preexisting satellite digital audio radio services, CD Radio and 
American Mobile Radio Corporation.

Id. at 85. See also id at 89.\8\ (final recitation of names of 
preexisting services as part of discussion in the section discussing 
the definition of the term, preexisting subscription service).
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    \8\ The language used here also appears in an earlier 
congressional report on the DMCA. Section-by-Section Analysis of 
H.R. 2281 as Passed by the United States House of Representatives on 
August 4, 1998. House Comm. on the Judiciary, 105th Congress, at 60 
[Comm. Print 1998].
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    The DMCA conference report also discusses the reasons why Congress 
decided not to subject these preexisting services to the new rate 
setting standard or impose additional limitations on their 
transmissions. Specifically, the conference report states that the 
rationale for its grandfathering provisions is to ``prevent disruption 
of the existing operations by such services,'' and it explains that the 
grandfathering provisions for preexisting satellite digital audio radio 
services and their ``historical operations'' have a similar rationale. 
Id. at 81. The report also explains that a preexisting service does not 
lose its designation as such in the event the service decides to 
utilize a new transmission medium, provided that the subscription 
transmissions are similar. In explaining this nuance, the conference 
report states:

     In grandfathering these services, the conferee`s objective was 
to limit the

[[Page 64642]]

grandfather to their existing services in the same transmission 
medium and to any new services in a new transmission medium where 
only transmissions similar to their existing service are provided. 
Thus, if a cable subscription music service making transmission on 
July 31, 1998, were to offer the same music service through the 
Internet, then such Internet service would be considered part of a 
preexisting subscription service.

     If, however, a subscription service making transmissions on 
July 31, 1998, were to offer a new service either in the same or new 
transmission medium by taking advantage [sic] of the capabilities of 
that medium, such new service would not qualify as a preexisting 
subscription service. For example, a service that offers video 
programming, such as advertising or other content, would not qualify 
as a preexisting service, provided that the video programming is not 
merely information about the service itself, the sound recordings 
being transmitted, the featured artists, composers or songwriters, 
or an advertisement to purchase the sound recording transmitted.

Id. at 89.\9\
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    \9\ Id.
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    Thus, it is clear why a service would seek to be classified as a 
preexisting subscription service for purposes of Sec.  114. A 
designation as a preexisting subscription service means that the 
service will pay royalty fees that are set according to a standard that 
may result in below market rates and it has the added benefit that the 
service can make its offerings of subscription transmissions in a new 
medium without losing the its status as a preexisting service. The 
legislative history construing the statutory framework that provides 
for these services also makes clear that these benefits are limited to 
only a handful of services that were in operation on July 31,1998.\10\
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    \10\ Id.
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    2. Summary of the Parties' Legal Arguments
    a. SoundExchange Legal Arguments
    Statutory Language. SoundExchange argues that neither DMX nor 
Sirius is eligible for a statutory license for preexisting subscription 
services because they do not satisfy the statutory requirements for 
preexisting subscription services. SoundExchange argues that the 
statutory license for preexisting subscription services is limited to 
``business entities which were `in existence and ... making [digital 
audio] transmissions to the public for a fee on or before July 31, 
1998,' 17 U.S.C. Sec.  114(j)(11) and are specifically named'' in the 
DMCA's legislative history. Initial Brief of SoundExchange Addressing 
the Question Referred to the Register Concerning the Universe of 
Services Eligible for the Preexisting Subscription Service Compulsory 
License (``SoundExchange Brief''), at 2. It states that the definition 
of preexisting subscription services ``speaks of a service as something 
that is in existence and making transmissions as of July 31, 1998.'' 
Id. at 11. SoundExchange also argues that the language of the statutory 
definition should be interpreted so that an ``entity'' is a preexisting 
subscription service, citing as evidence, 17 U.S.C. Sec.  114(e)(1) and 
(2), which provides authority for parties to negotiate. SoundExchange 
argues that Sec.  114(e) read in conjunction with the definition at 
Sec.  114(j)(11) makes it clear that preexisting services are the 
business entities identified in the legislative history.
    Legislative History. SoundExchange argues that the statutory 
license for preexisting subscription services was created solely for 
the entities identified in the legislative history and ``solely for the 
purpose of preserving their business expectancy of operating under the 
legal standard for setting rates and terms that existed prior to the 
DMCA.'' Id. In support, SoundExchange quotes the conference report 
language that states the purpose of the exemptions is to ``prevent 
disruption of existing operations by such services.'' Id. at 2,13. 
SoundExchange contends that Congress intended to benefit those 
companies that had made a substantial prior investment in digital audio 
transmission services in reliance on the preexisting rate standard and 
were in fact making such transmissions. SoundExchange Brief, at 3. 
SoundExchange states that the conference report establishes a 
requirement that there are only three entities qualified to be 
preexisting subscription services and the three must be limited to 
those specifically identified by name.
    SoundExchange alleges that once the business expectancy of the 
entity identified in the legislative history is ``extinguished,'' the 
statutory license ceases to exist. Id. at 4 and 11. It objects to any 
subsequent entity benefitting from the grandfathering provision as 
creating a ``freely alienable property right to the predecessor legal 
regime for new market entrants,'' which, SoundExchange maintains, 
Congress did not intend. Id.
    Principle of Narrow Construction. In additional arguments, 
SoundExchange cautions that the Register should adhere to the principle 
that, since statutory licenses are derogations of the rights of 
copyright owners, they must be construed as narrowly as possible, both 
in the scope of the license and the eligibility criteria. Id. at 14. In 
light of this principle, SoundExchange advocates that these statutory 
licenses should be interpreted narrowly to ``restrict the perpetuation 
or expansion'' of the preexisting subscription services statutory 
licenses. Id. at 15. SoundExchange points out that the grandfathering 
provision is a deep government intrusion into the market place that is 
potentially discriminatory and that, in the past, the Register herself 
expressed a preference for parity among statutory licensees. Id. at 15. 
SoundExchange also draws attention to that fact that, aside from the 
statutory license context, it is a general principle of law that 
grandfathering provisions should be construed strictly and narrowly. 
Id. In support of those principles, SoundExchange reminds the Copyright 
Office of a precedent in which it adhered to those principles of 
narrowly and strictly construing grandfathering provisions. Id. at 17, 
citing Compulsory License for Cable Systems, 49 Fed. Reg. 14,944 (April 
16, 1984).
    Third Party Transfer of Statutory Licenses. SoundExchange also 
argued that statutory licenses are subject to the same restrictions 
that generally apply against transferability of non-exclusive copyright 
licenses, citing authorities in support of that principle. Id. at 19. 
SoundExchange also cites Harris v. Emus Records Corp., 734 F.2d 1329, 
1333 (9th Cir. 1984) in which, SoundExchange alleges, the United States 
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit established that the same 
principles apply to statutory licenses as to voluntary licenses. Id.
    Based on the foregoing considerations, SoundExchange alleges that 
Sirius and DMX are not eligible for a statutory license as preexisting 
subscription services since they are not entities that were in 
existence and making digital audio transmissions on or before July 31, 
1998. SoundExchange asserts that neither one is identified in the 
legislative history naming entities that are preexisting subscription 
services. SoundExchange maintains that Sirius is a completely different 
company than Muzak, the entity identified as a preexisting subscription 
service. SoundExchange also rejects DMX's claim to eligibility for a 
statutory license for preexisting services on the basis that, following 
bankruptcy proceedings for the previous entity operating the DMX 
preexisting subscription service, THP Capstar did not acquire 
sufficient assets to be a party in interest that is eligible for the 
statutory license.

[[Page 64643]]

SoundExchange concedes that a company does not lose its eligibility for 
a statutory license merely because it changes its name. Id., at n. 6.
    b. Sirius
    Statutory Language. Sirius argues that it is eligible for a 
statutory license as a preexisting subscription service because it is 
performing sound recordings by digital audio transmission for the DiSH 
Network which is the preexisting subscription service that was in 
existence on July 31, 1998. Sirius bases its eligibility on the 
reference in the legislative history to the DiSH Network as a 
preexisting subscription service and contends ``that Congress intended 
status as a [preexisting subscription service] to flow directly from 
the fact that the programming is transmitted over the DiSH Network.'' 
Memorandum of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. Concerning Eligibility for 
Status as a ``Preexisting Subscription Service,'' at 4. Sirius 
maintains that, as long as the preexisting subscription service has 
continued to be DiSH Network, any business entity that provides 
transmission consistent with the statutory requirements is eligible for 
the license. Sirius alleges that the definition of preexisting 
subscription service only requires that the service, not the business 
entity, be in existence and operating at that time. Sirius points out 
that to constrain the DiSH Network to rely solely on Muzak is illogical 
since that ignores the fact that DiSH Network has no control over 
Muzak's business and would be unable to control important aspects of 
its service, such as the quality or nature of the content. Sirius 
maintains that there is nothing in the statute or legislative history 
to indicate that DiSH Network was not free to substitute a different 
transmitting entity. That would be commercially unreasonable and unfair 
to DiSH Network.
    Legislative History. Sirius further argues that the legislative 
history is not pertinent since the statute is clear on its face and 
there is no need to resort to legislative history to interpret the 
plain meaning of the statute. Nevertheless, Sirius also argues that the 
legislative history does not support SoundExchange's interpretation 
but, rather, emphasizes that the beneficiary of the grandfathering 
provision is the service, not the business entity.
    Principle of Narrow Construction. Sirius rejects as irrelevant 
SoundExchange's reliance on statutory canons regarding the 
interpretation of grandfather clauses, arguing that the concept of a 
grandfather clause is irrelevant here since Congress has identified the 
eligible entities. Sirius states that Congress' goal is to protect the 
status of preexisting subscription services. Also, in rebuttal, Sirius 
cites instances in which courts have rejected the canons cited by 
SoundExchange and instances in which courts have decided that such 
clauses must be broadly construed, contrary to SoundExchange's 
assertion that they must be narrowly construed. Reply Memorandum of 
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. Concerning Eligibility for Status as A 
``Preexisting Subscription Service,'' (``Sirius Reply''), at 7-8.
    Sirius states that SoundExchange's reliance on the Register's 1984 
cable compulsory license decision is irrelevant. In support of that 
position, Sirius argues that what was at issue in that cable compulsory 
licensing proceeding was a question of which rate to apply when a 
distant signal equivalent that was not grandfathered was substituted 
for a signal that was grandfathered, for which the Copyright Office 
relied on a determination previously made by the Copyright Royalty 
Tribunal, an organization that became defunct in 1993 and was replaced 
with the CARP system. Sirius states that the issue stands rather for 
the proposition that, in matters where the Tribunal had authority to 
regulate, the Register must give effect to the unambiguously expressed 
intent of the Tribunal.
    Sirius dismisses SoundExchange's assertion that it is a fundamental 
principle that statutory licenses, as derogations of the rights of 
copyright owners, must be construed as narrowly as possible. Sirius 
rebuts that statement by pointing out that the statutory license for 
preexisting statutory licenses is, itself, a narrowly carved out 
performance right which is subject to many exceptions and limitations. 
Therefore, copyright owners, themselves, have very narrow and limited 
rights with regard to the statutory license to public performances of 
sound recordings. Therefore, Sirius reasons, it is the sound recording 
right itself that should be narrowly construed, not the restrictions in 
17 U.S.C. Sec.  114.
    Past Practices. Sirius asserts that SoundExchange has acquiesced, 
by accepting royalty payments since 2004, in Sirius' having a statutory 
license for preexisting subscription services. Sirius maintains that, 
if it did not qualify for that statutory license, it was not obligated 
to pay any royalties since there is no fee established for new 
subscription services that provide audio programming bundled with cable 
or satellite services. Sirius also points out that SoundExchange 
received adequate notice to object to Sirius' eligibility prior to 
these proceedings because, in addition to receiving royalty payments, 
Sirius filed an Amended Notice of Use of Sound Recordings Under 
Statutory License, on May 18, 2004.
    c. DMX
    Statutory Construction. DMX argues in response that it is eligible 
for a statutory license for preexisting subscription services based on 
the plain language of the statute. It rejects SoundExchange's 
``conflation of a service and the legal entity that operates it.'' DMX 
Memorandum of Law on Novel, Material Question of Substantive Law 
Concerning the Preexisting Subscription Service Compulsory License 
(``DMX Memorandum''), at 9. DMX points out that there are no 
requirements in the statute regarding ownership or restrictions on 
changes of control.
    DMX states that Sec.  114(d)(2)(B) is drafted to identify specific 
services that were in existence and operating on July 31, 1998, not to 
identify particular business entities that control those services. DMX 
cites several principles of statutory construction in support of its 
argument that the terms ``entity'' and ``entities'' should be 
interpreted as having separate meanings from the terms ``service'' and 
``services'' where they appear in the statutory text. To illustrate 
this point, DMX cites examples that include: (a) Sec.  114(d)(2)(C)(iv) 
(``the transmitting entity does not knowingly perform the sound 
recording, as part of a service that offers ... or a particular product 
or service advertised by the transmitting entity''), (b) Sec.  
114(d)(2)(C)(ix) (``the transmitting entity identifies in textual data 
the sound recording during, but not before, the time it is performed, 
including the title ... in a manner to permit it to be displayed to the 
transmission recipient by the device or technology intended for 
receiving the service provided by the transmitting entity''), (c) Sec.  
114(h)(1) (``If the copyright owner of a sound recording licenses an 
affiliated entity the right to publicly perform a sound recording by 
means of a digital audio transmission under Sec.  106(6), the copyright 
owner shall make [it] available ... to all bona fide entities that 
offer similar services''), (d) Sec.  114(j)(6) (referring to 
transmissions made as ``part of a service'') and (e) Sec.  114(j)(7) 
(``If an entity offers both interactive and noninteractive services''). 
Id. at 8.
    In support of its interpretation that, if Congress had meant to 
limit the statutory license available under Sec.  114(d)(2)(B) to 
specific business entities, rather than to subscription services, it 
could and would have

[[Page 64644]]

drafted the statute accordingly. DMX cites well established principles 
of statutory construction in both its initial and reply briefs:

     SoundExchange's proffered interpretation of Section 114 thus 
violates the fundamental precept of statutory construction that 
requires interpretation of each provision in a section in such a way 
as to produce a harmonious whole. See, e.g., Hammontree v. NLRB, 925 
F.2d 1486, 1496 (D.C. Cir. 1991) (``Established and familiar 
principles of statutory construction favor this latter 
interpretation ... for courts are obligated to construe statutes 
harmoniously whenever possible.'') (citation omitted). 
[SoundExchange's argument] also contravenes the equally fundamental 
interpretive principle that when a statute uses two different terms, 
Congress must have intended that two different meanings attach 
thereto. See, e.g., American Portland Cement Alliance v. EPA, 101 
F.3d 772, 775 (D.C. Cir. 1996).

DMX Memorandum, at 8-9.

     The Supreme Court repeatedly has rejected arguments such as the 
one advanced by SoundExchange here that different terms used in the 
same statute should be presumed to have the same meaning. See, e.g., 
Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, 542 U.S. 692, 711 n. 9 (2004) (``[W]hen the 
legislature uses certain language in one part of the statute and 
different language in another, the court assumes different meanings 
were intended.'') (citation omitted); Russello v. United States, 464 
U.S. 16, 23 (1983) (``We refrain from concluding here that the 
differing language in the two subsections has the same meaning in 
each. We would not presume to ascribe this difference to a simple 
mistake in draftsmanship.''). ... The distinct language used by 
Congress is presumed to have been purposeful and is to be accorded 
appropriate deference. See, e.g., Barnhart v. Sigmon Coal Co., 534 
U.S. 438, 452 (2002) (``[I]t is a general principle of statutory 
construction that when Congress includes particular language in one 
section of a statute but omits it in another section of the same 
Act, it is generally presumed that Congress acts intentionally and 
purposely in the disparate inclusion or exclusion.'') (internal 
quotation omitted); see also United States v. Labonte, 520 U.S. 751, 
757 (1997) (``We do not start from the premise that this language is 
imprecise. Instead, we assume that in drafting this legislation, 
Congress said what it meant.'')

DMX, Inc.'s Reply Memorandum of Law on Novel, Material Question of 
Substantive Law Concerning the Preexisting Subscription Service 
Compulsory License (``DMX Reply Brief''), at 4.
    Legislative History. DMX argues that there is no need to rely on 
the legislative history when the plain meaning of the statute is clear 
on its face. It rejects SoundExchange's interpretation of the 
legislative history, arguing instead for its own interpretation that, 
because the DMX subscription service is repeatedly named in the 
grandfathering provisions, it is the beneficiary of the exemption. DMX 
states that, like the statute, the legislative history treats a service 
as something offered or operated by an entity, rather than as a service 
being a particular business entity, citing H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 105-796, 
at 89.
    Principle of Narrow Construction. DMX rejects SoundExchange's 
reliance on a Copyright Office interpretation of the compulsory 
copyright license for cable systems that involved a grandfathering 
issue. DMX states that, ``Just as the grandfathering provision at issue 
in the cable compulsory license regulation applied to signals rather 
than to [cable] systems, the grandfathering provision at issue here 
applies to services, not to the companies that operate them.'' Id.
    Past Practices & Bankruptcy Proceedings. DMX points out that 
SoundExchange did not object to the reorganized business entities that 
held a preexisting subscription service statutory license to operate as 
DMX until recently, after DMX went through bankruptcy proceedings. DMX 
argues that SoundExchange is now acting contrary to its own past 
practice of acquiescing to the repeated, historical changes in 
ownership of the DMX preexisting subscription service. DMX alleges that 
SoundExchange is challenging DMX's right to a preexisting subscription 
service license to retaliate because the business currently controlling 
DMX did not take on the liability for royalty payments owed 
SoundExchange prior to the bankruptcy proceedings. DMX rejects 
SoundExchange's contention that DMX is not eligible for the preexisting 
subscription service statutory license because DMX did not acquire a 
statutory license from the former DMX in the bankruptcy proceedings. 
DMX points out that the CRB previously recognized that its eligibility 
for that license derives directly from the Copyright Act, referencing 
Procedural Regulations for the Copyright Royalty Board, 70 Fed. Reg. 
30,901 (May 31, 2005) (``Statutory licenses ... enable a person to use 
copyrighted materials unilaterally, without contractual permission of 
the owners of the materials; so long as the user complies with 
applicable reporting and royalty payment obligations, such uses are not 
infringements of the owners' copyright.''). Id. at 10. DMX rebutted 
SoundExchange assertions that DMX is not eligible for the preexisting 
subscription service statutory license as a result of the bankruptcy 
proceedings. Id. at 9-11. DMX Reply Brief, at 7.

III. Legal Analysis

    Statutory Language. Section 114 provides a statutory license to 
perform a sound recording publicly by means of a digital audio 
transmission. A major function of the language of Sec.  114 is to 
identify the types of transmissions that fall within the scope of the 
license and the limitations on those transmissions, and to distinguish 
between the services that may utilize the license. To clarify the 
meaning of the terms used to identify these transmissions and the 
services, Sec.  114 includes a number of definitions, including the 
definition for a ``preexisting subscription service,'' at Sec.  
114(j)(11).
    The definition of a preexisting service specifies that in order for 
a service to qualify as a preexisting subscription service, the service 
must have been in existence and making transmissions of noninteractive 
audio-only subscription digital audio transmissions to the public for a 
fee on or before July 31, 1998. The current controversy surrounding the 
definition of a ``preexisting subscription service'' hinges on whether 
the service is a business entity which was offering music on a 
subscription basis on or before July 31, 1998, or whether the term 
merely refers to the use being made of the sound recordings during this 
time period.
    DMX maintains that the term ``service,'' as used throughout Sec.  
114, does not extend to the business entity operating the preexisting 
subscription service but rather is a reference to the use of the music 
offered by DMX on or before July, 31,1998. Sirius takes a similar 
position, maintaining that the service, not the business entity, must 
have been in existence and operating at that time. SoundExchange, on 
the other hand, infers that the term ``service'' must refer to a 
specific business entity operating a digital music service because a 
service defined only by its use of sound recordings could not satisfy 
the requirement that the service was making transmissions on or before 
July 31, 1998.
    In disputing SoundExchange's interpretation, DMX examines other 
provisions in Sec.  114 to determine how these terms are used, citing, 
for example, Sec.  Sec.  114(d)(2)(C)(iv) and (d)(2)(C)(ix), which uses 
the terms ``transmitting entity'' and ``service'' in the same 
paragraph. It also notes that the statute makes clear that an entity 
can offer more than one type of service, citing to the definition of an 
``interactive

[[Page 64645]]

service,''at Sec.  114(j)(7) (noting that an entity can offer both an 
interactive and a noninteractive service) and to the section on 
licensing to affiliates at Sec.  114(h). DMX maintains that under the 
rules of statutory construction use of these words in the same 
paragraph would necessarily mean that they are not one and the same.
    However, Sec.  114 is not a model of clarity or consistency and it 
is instructive to look closer at the use of the terms and examine 
further usages in Sec.  114. For example, Sec.  114(d)(2)(c) discusses 
the limitations on the transmissions made by two types of services, a 
new subscription service and a preexisting subscription service using a 
new medium for transmissions. In describing these limitations, the 
statute arguably uses the term ``transmitting entity'' as a generic 
term applicable to both types of services when discussing what these 
services cannot do when making the transmissions. But this 
interpretation is tenuous, especially in light of Sec.  
114(d)(2)(C)(iv), without further support in the statute of the dual 
nature of the term ``service.''
    A more compelling argument for an interpretation that ``service'' 
means the ``business entity'' making the subscription transmissions can 
be made based upon an analysis of the sections that set forth the 
procedures for establishing rates and terms for the subscription 
transmissions. Section 114(e) specifically authorizes copyright owners 
of sound recordings and the entities performing the sound recordings to 
negotiate the rates and terms for use of the sound recordings under 
Sec.  114. Again, use of the term ``entity'' appears to be used to 
encompass all entities that may operate under the statutory license and 
as DMX points out there is nothing in this section that would equate an 
``entity'' with a ``service.'' However, Sec.  114(e) must be read in 
conjunction with Sec.  Sec.  114(f)(1) and (2), where it is necessary 
to distinguish among the ``entities'' for purposes of setting rates and 
terms because different standards are used to set rates for different 
``services.''
    Section 114(f)(1) sets forth the procedures for setting rates and 
terms for the preexisting subscription services and preexisting 
satellite digital audio radio services. It provides a negotiation 
period to allow the copyright owners of the sound recordings and the 
licensees to reach an agreement on the rates and terms rather than 
engage in a more formal hearing process. Moreover, it specifically 
names in the last sentence of this section the preexisting services and 
the preexisting satellite digital audio radio services as the entities 
authorized under Sec.  114(e) to participate in this process. It reads 
as follows: ``Any copyright owners of sound recordings, preexisting 
subscription services, or preexisting satellite digital audio radio 
services may submit to the Copyright Royalty Judges licenses covering 
such subscription transmissions with respect to such sound 
recordings.'' The identification of the preexisting subscription 
services as entities authorized to engage in the negotiations of the 
rates for the transmissions made by these services supports an 
interpretation in this context that the use of the term preexisting 
subscription service refers to the business entity that operates under 
the license and pays the royalty fees for the transmissions it makes.
    Section 114(c)(3) also supports the interpretation. It discusses 
the circumstances under which an interactive service shall be granted 
an exclusive license for the public performance of a sound recording by 
means of a digital audio transmission. If the term ``interactive 
service'' as used in this context was limited only to the use of the 
sound recordings in such a way as to deliver the work on request to a 
recipient, then the sentence would have no meaning, since it is a 
business entity and not the service itself that must secure the license 
in order to offer the service.
    At the end of this analysis, we recognize that both DMX and Sound 
Exchange offer plausible interpretations of the term ``preexisting 
subscription service,'' and each finds support to some extent for its 
interpretation in the statutory language. Since a clear meaning for the 
term ``preexisting subscription service'' cannot be discerned by 
analyzing the use of the term in the statute, it is necessary to turn 
to the legislative history to inform the decision.
    Legislative History. The legislative history is pertinent because 
it specifically identifies the entities upon which Congress confers the 
status, and because it explains the rationale for making this 
distinction among the services. As previously quoted, the Conference 
Report identifies DMX (operated by TCI Music), Music Choice (operated 
by Digital Cable Radio Associates and the DiSH Network (operated by 
Muzak), as the only three preexisting subscription services. Conf. 
Report at 81. While this information is helpful, it goes no farther 
than to name the entities that were in existence and making 
transmissions on or before July 31, 1998.
    A more fruitful line of inquiry focuses on the reason why Congress 
chose to grandfather these three services as preexisting subscription 
services. On this point, the conference report states that:

     In grandfathering these services, the conferees' [sic] 
objective was to limit the grandfather to their existing services in 
the same transmission medium and to any new services in a new 
transmission medium where only transmissions similar to their 
existing service are provided.

Id. at 89.
    While it would appear from this excerpt that Congress's purpose in 
grandfathering these services was to preserve a particular program 
offering, it was not its only purpose or even necessarily its major 
goal.
    The Conference Report also makes clear that Congress distinguished 
between preexisting subscription services and new subscription services 
as a way to prevent disruption of the existing operations of the 
services that were in existence and operating before July 31, 1998. Id. 
at 81. It understood that the entities so designated as preexisting had 
invested a great deal of resources into developing their services under 
the terms established in 1995 as part of the Digital Performance Right 
in Sound Recording Act of 1995, and that those services deserved to 
develop their businesses accordingly. While DMX and Sirius would like 
to interpret the reference to ``existing operations'' as meaning only 
the offerings made by these named services before the cut-off date, the 
legislative history does not support that interpretation when these 
statements are read in context with the explanations for why Congress 
also grandfathered two other entities as preexisting satellite digital 
audio services, identified as CD Radio and American Mobile Radio 
Corporation.
    First, the legislative history makes it clear that the two named 
preexisting satellite digital audio services are the business entities 
that purchased the FCC licenses to develop the satellite systems which 
they used to offer their subscription services. And second, the 
existing operations that Congress meant to protect included the 
development of the satellite systems over which these services were to 
operate and not just the day-to-day operations involved in making the 
music available to the subscriber. Had Congress been interested in only 
protecting the use of the music, then it would have not expressed its 
concerns about disrupting business plans to build facilities over

[[Page 64646]]

which these services were to be offered.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ See Determination of Reasonable Rates and Terms for the 
Digital Performance of Sound Recordings, 63 Fed. Reg. 25,394 (May 8, 
1998). In that proceeding, the CARP ultimately concluded that, at 
that time in the development of those types of services, it set a 
low rate favoring the license holders ``because a rate set toward 
the high end would thwart the statutory objectives under current 
market conditions.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In construing the statutory language together with the legislative 
history, the logical conclusion is that Congress did use the term 
``service'' to mean both the program offerings made on a subscription 
basis to the public and the business entity that secures the license to 
make the subscription transmissions. Although DMX contends that it 
would be difficult to determine whether a specific use of the term 
``preexisting subscription service'' relates to the business entity or 
the use of the sound recordings by that entity, DMX Reply Brief at 6, 
that is not a reason to reject the conclusion. While usage of the term 
``preexisting subscription service'' is ambiguous in some instances, 
its use to identify who receives the benefits of the designation and 
has the authority to operate under the statutory license and enter into 
negotiations to set rates and terms can only be read as referring to 
the business entity identified as the preexisting subscription service. 
To do otherwise would be to create confusion as to what entity had the 
right to participate in the rate setting process. Moreover, this 
approach closely adheres to the principles that support the adoption of 
a grandfather provision as explained more fully below.
    Principle of Narrow Construction. Grandfathering provisions are 
frequently included in statutes to ensure continuity and to reward the 
investment and efforts of those who were the first to take on the 
struggles and risks of novel enterprises or methods. Moreover, as was 
stated in the arguments, it is a well established canon of statutory 
interpretation that grandfather provisions are to be narrowly 
interpreted See United States v. Allan Drug Corporation, 357 F.2d 713 
(10th Cir. 1966) (noting that grandfather clause exemption must be 
construed strictly against one who invokes it).
    Thus, based upon these principles of statutory construction and the 
explanations offered in the legislative history for the adoption of the 
grandfathered services, the better reading of the statute is that the 
preexisting services must be limited to the three named entities in the 
Conference Report, i.e., DMX (operated by TCI Music), Music Choice 
(operated by Digital Cable Radio Associates), and the DiSH Network 
(operated by Muzak) that were in existence and making transmissions of 
sound recordings by means of noninteractive audio-only subscription 
digital transmissions on or before July 31, 1998.
    The question remains, however, whether the designation applies to 
the type of offerings made by the service or the business entity 
operating at the relevant time. As discussed previously, we conclude 
that the beneficiary of the grandfather provision should be the 
business entity that was providing the service at the time. While there 
is a debate among the parties as to whether DMX today is the same 
business entity as it was in 1998, the Office declines to reach this 
question because it would involve the interpretation of facts that go 
beyond the scope of this inquiry.
    On the other hand, it is appropriate for the Office to consider 
whether for purposes of Sec.  114 Sirius can provide the same type of 
music service that Muzak offered in 1998 through DiSH Network. The 
answer to this inquiry hinges on the status of DiSH Network and whether 
it or the music service content provider offered over its network is 
the beneficiary of the grandfather provision. On this point, Sirius 
concedes that DiSH Network is a satellite television service which, in 
1998, sought out a music service provider to supply the audio music 
channels. It also notes that the Sec.  114 statutory license covers 
only audio services and that the royalty fees are calculated based on 
the revenues associated with the provision of the sound recordings and 
not the revenues generated by DiSH Network. We also note that DiSH 
Network is the apparent beneficiary of the exemption in Sec.  
114(d)(1)(C)(iii) which allows a direct broadcast satellite service 
provider to retransmit to the listener noninteractive music programming 
provided by a licensed source. Yet in spite of these facts, Sirius 
maintains that DiSH Network is the preexisting subscription service 
because it was specifically named in the legislative history, or 
alternatively, that Sirius itself is the beneficiary of the designation 
as a preexisting service through DiSH, because it is the provider of 
music services over the DiSH Network.
    While it is clear that DiSH is identified in the legislative 
history as the preexisting service, often without any reference to 
Muzak as the provider of the audio channels carried over the DiSH 
network, the DiSH Network standing alone cannot be viewed as the 
preexisting service, nor does it have a need to be designated as such 
because of the exemption it enjoys under Sec.  114(d)(1)(C)(iii). 
Section 114 involves the licensing of the public performance right to 
make digital transmissions of sound recordings. In 1998, the service 
making these transmissions over the DiSH Network was Muzak. Thus, it 
was Muzak that made the transmissions under the Sec.  114 statutory 
license and it was Muzak that incurred the obligation to pay the 
royalties. Because DiSH itself did not operate under the Sec.  114 
statutory license, it makes no sense for it alone to be considered the 
preexisting service. Thus, the reference to DiSH Network in the 
legislative history is best interpreted as including the actual music 
service that did offer subscription transmissions of sound recordings 
over the DiSH Network at that time, i.e., Muzak.
    Moreover, to allow Sirius to step into the shoes of Muzak and offer 
the same type of subscription transmissions is inconsistent with a 
narrow construction of the grandfather provision. As stated earlier, 
the purpose of the grandfather provision was to prevent the disruption 
of existing operations which, in this case, was the offering of music 
channels supplied by Muzak. Muzak was the pioneer music service that 
incurred both the benefits and risks that came with its investment, and 
one such benefit was its status as a preexisting subscription service 
so long as it provided its music offerings over the DiSH Network. 
Sirius, however, cannot assume the benefits of the preexisting 
subscription service designation when it did not offer a subscription 
service during the industry's nascent years.
    Third Party Transfer of Statutory Licenses. SoundExchange's 
arguments that Sirius and DMX are not entitled to assume the benefits 
of the statutory licenses held by Muzak and the previous business 
entity known as DMX is based, in part, on its theory that those 
previous business entities were barred from transferring their licenses 
due to restrictions similar to those against the transferability of 
non-exclusive copyright licenses. In support, SoundExchange cites 
Harris v. Emus Records Corp., 734 F.2d 1329, 1333 (9th Cir. 1984). That 
authority is not persuasive on this point because the U.S. Court of 
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stated that it did not reach the issue of 
whether the license at issue was compulsory. Id. at 1333.
    Statutory licenses are freely available to all potential users 
without consent from copyright owners or other licensees, provided that 
the user adheres to the regulations governing the statutory license, 
including all reporting requirements and royalty payment obligations.

[[Page 64647]]

    Past Practices and Bankruptcy. Issues relating to whether the 
parties had sufficient notice to be deemed to have acquiesced in 
matters now being challenged are beyond the question referred and are 
for the CRB's determination. The same is true with regard to the impact 
that bankruptcy proceedings may have on the outcome of its proceedings.
    Conclusion. The Copyright Royalty Board referred a novel question 
of law to the Register which asked: ``Is the universe of preexisting 
subscription services, [as defined by Sec.  114(j)(11)], limited by law 
to only Muzak (provided over the DiSH Network), Music Choice, and 
DMX?'' Before answering this question, the Office contemplated what 
Congress meant by the term ``preexisting subscription service,'' 
because there was a controversy over whether the term applied to the 
use of the sound recording, or the business entity that operated under 
the Sec.  114 statutory license. Ultimately, the Office discerned that 
the term is used in the statute in both manners. A preexisting 
subscription service is used in Sec.  114 sometimes to refer to the 
aggregate of the subscription transmissions that were made by the 
entities identified in the legislative history, and sometimes to 
identify the business entities operating under the statutory license on 
or before July 31, 1998, and that have the authority to negotiate rates 
and terms for use of the license. Whether Congress intended this 
outcome is unclear, but the Office's interpretation offers a workable 
reading of the statute and the legislative intent.
    Nevertheless, for purposes of the question posed by the Board, the 
determination that the term refers to the business entities in 
existence and making subscription transmissions on or before July 
31,1998, appears to be the more appropriate reading of the term 
``preexisting subscription service'' for purposes of determining 
whether an entity can operate under the statutory license as a 
preexisting subscription service and participate in the rate setting 
process. Moreover, in light of Congress's decision to identify specific 
entities as being preexisting subscription services, it appears 
Congress meant to limit preexisting subscription service status to the 
three entities identified by the Board.

    October 20, 2006.
Marybeth Peters,
Register of Copyrights
[FR Doc. E6-18590 Filed 11-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1410-30-S