Songwriters help launch new copyright group

The livelihoods of songwriters and musicians depend on strong copyright laws, said a group of them who spoke at the launch of a new advocacy organization that will push the U.S. Congress for such protections.

Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier, rock and R&B songwriter and guitarist Steve Cropper and folk and children's music songwriter Tom Paxton were among the artists supporting the new Copyright Alliance, which officially launched Thursday in Washington, D.C.

The lack of copyright protections for music has "really gotten out of hand," said Dozier, co-writer of the songs, "Baby I Need Your Loving," "How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)," and "Where Did Our Love Go," among other Motown hits. Dozier's two sons, both in their 20s, are trying to make it in the music business, and he worries about their ability to do so because of widespread copyright violations, he said.

"Will they have anything to start a family with, to build on a career of any sort?" he asked.

Most musicians cannot survive through income from tours, added Cropper, co-writer of the hits "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" and "In the Midnight Hour," among others. Songwriters need income derived from copyright protections as well, he said.

"One of the greatest inventions ever on this planet is American music," said Cropper, guitarist for Booker T. and the MGs, the Blues Brothers and many other artists. "We need to do everything we can to protect these interests."

The Copyright Alliance will lobby for stronger civil and criminal penalties for copyright violations, according to its Web site.

Several copyright bills are likely to come before Congress this year, said Representative Howard Berman, a California Democrat and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. Among the bills Berman expects in Congress is reform of the payment system for music royalties, particularly higher payments for artists whose music is sold online, he said.

Berman praised the Copyright Alliance for its focus. Congress and advocates need to "protect against the constant assault on copyright law," he said.

Copyright issues are likely to produce major debate in Congress this year. Two bills would nullify a March ruling from U.S. copyright royalty judges increasing the royalty fees Internet radio broadcasters must pay. In February, Representative Rick Boucher, a Virginia Democrat, introduced a bill that would carve out customer rights for the so-called fair use of copyright works.

The Copyright Alliance also will work on efforts to educate consumers about copyright. Many young people today don't understand the value of copyright, said James Gibson, an intellectual property professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. "The problem is, in the popular culture, copyright gets a bad rap," he said.