United States v. American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers

562 F. Supp. 2d 413, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36226, 2008 WL 1967722
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedApril 30, 2008
DocketCiv.A. 41-1395(WCC)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 562 F. Supp. 2d 413 (United States v. American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers, 562 F. Supp. 2d 413, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36226, 2008 WL 1967722 (S.D.N.Y. 2008).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

WILLIAM C. CONNER, Senior District Judge

This decision is the culmination of a hearing conducted by this Court in its capacity as the “rate court” pursuant to Section IX of the Second Amended Final Judgment (“AFJ2”) entered June 11, 2001 in United States v. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”), Civ. Action 41-1395(WCC), 2001 WL 1589999 (S.D.N.Y. June 11, 2001), to determine reasonable fees for blanket licensees for the performance of ASCAP-repertory music by AOL LLC f/k/a America Online, Inc. (“AOL”), RealNetworks, Inc. (“RealNetworks”) and Yahoo! Inc. (“Yahoo”), three internet service providers who have applied to ASCAP for such licenses but have been unable to reach agreement on such fees.

The rate hearing was conducted for 13 days during the period from October 25, 2007 to November 15, 2007. Testimony was heard from 12 witnesses, and depositions of 12 additional witnesses were designated for inclusion in the record. The Court received in evidence 203 exhibits. The parties’ post-hearing proposed findings and briefs totaled over 600 pages, not counting the affidavits and supporting documents submitted with them. After due consideration of all the evidence and arguments and weighing the credibility of the witnesses, the Court makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(a).

*417 FINDINGS OF FACT 1

I.The Development of the Online Industry

A. Growth of the Internet and Broadband

1. The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data. (SF ¶ 1.) In just over a decade, the Internet has grown from its relatively obscure roots to become a major information and entertainment medium that rivals television and radio. It has transformed our culture in innumerable ways, changing how we shop, how we watch television and movies, and how we listen to music.

2. Several technological developments facilitated the Internet’s rapid and widespread adoption as a new medium. Personal computers have grown in popularity and are now in most homes. The percentage of households with a computer increased from 15.0% in 1989 to 51.0% a decade later. (SF ¶ 7.) By 2006, some 77% of homes had at least one personal computer, and 32% had more than one. (Id.) During this time, computers grew increasingly powerful, and their ability to receive, process, and store an ever-larger volume of information increased correspondingly. (SF ¶ 8.) In addition, the number of people with connections to the Internet has grown substantially, and today most homes have Internet access. (SF ¶¶ 5, 8, 9, 12.) By 1998, more than a quarter of households had an Internet connection, and by 2006, 81% of the population had some form of Internet access. (SF ¶¶ 12, 29.)

3. By the end of the 1990’s, a new technology emerged that enabled the delivery of large files, especially music and audiovisual files, on a widespread basis for commercial gain to a large segment of the public — high-speed Internet access. (SF ¶¶ 27, 39, 41.) High-speed Internet connections, often referred to as “broadband” connections, are advanced communications systems capable of providing high-speed transmission of data, audio, and video, and other content over the Internet, often by means of digital subscriber line (“DSL”), fiber optic cable, coaxial cable, or wireless technology. (SF ¶ 33.) Unlike traditional dial-up Internet access that was carried through telephone lines and modems, broadband connections allow the rapid transmission of large quantities of data, including audio and audiovisual files. (Id.)

4. Because music and audiovisual files are far larger than text files, the transmission of such files over dial-up lines or narrow-band was slow and resulted in poor sound quality. (Tr. 17:4-25 (Kohn).) The development and widespread adoption of Internet connections with greater bandwidth meant that large data files could be transmitted at much faster, and commercially practicable, speeds.

5. The number of broadband Internet connections has grown dramatically in the past eight years. (AsX. 2 365 (Chart), 149 (at ASCAP 009883, 009893).)

6. There were 2.48 million high-speed Internet lines in the U.S. at the end of 1999, but by the middle of 2006, there were 64.61 million high-speed lines. (Id.) Only 13% of households with Internet access *418 had high-speed broadband connections in January 2001, but by January 2006, some 58% had broadband access. (SF ¶ 34.) Of those with dial-up access in 2006 who did not yet have a broadband connection, some 25% said they planned to obtain high-speed Internet access in the next twelve months. (SF ¶ 35.) Today, virtually everyone with access to cable television in the home can subscribe to high-speed Internet access. (SF ¶ 36.)

7. In addition, wireless broadband connections, once rare, have become increasingly available. Wireless high-speed connections are now accessible in public locales such as Internet cafes and public parks, and an increasing number of municipalities are undertaking efforts to offer all their residents access to low-cost, or free, wireless broadband connections. (SF ¶ 38.) According to one survey, more than 300 U.S. cities have plans underway to provide some form of public wireless broadband access. (Id.)

8. At the same time, broadband speeds have increased geometrically, enabling audio and audio/visual content to be transmitted to consumers even faster. (SF ¶ 39.) The larger the “pipe” through which data can be transmitted, the faster those data files will be transmitted. (Tr. 17:4-25 (Kohn).) As a result, with faster broadband speeds, music and video files can be transmitted faster and at a higher quality. (Id.)

B. The Early Years of Online Music Streaming

9. Broadband has transformed the Internet from a text-based medium to an audiovisual medium and has had a material impact on the amount and quality of audio and audiovisual content available online. (Tr. 124:19-125:24 (Amenita).)

10. The first music streaming services emerged in the mid-1990s. (SF ¶21.) These early music streaming services were often individual, single-channel webcasts, similar to a radio station broadcast. (SF ¶ 17.) One type of webcasting is “simulcasting,” the streaming of a terrestrial radio station’s broadcast programming simultaneously with the station’s over-the-air broadcast. (SF ¶ 18.) Another type of webcasting is Internet-only webcasting, which offers musical content that is not available anywhere except on the Internet. (SF ¶ 19.) Webcasts differ from on-demand streams, which are transmissions of specific recordings selected by the user. (SF ¶ 20.)

11.

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Related

United States v. American Society of Composers
607 F. Supp. 2d 562 (S.D. New York, 2009)
United States v. Ascap
607 F. Supp. 2d 562 (S.D. New York, 2009)

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562 F. Supp. 2d 413, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36226, 2008 WL 1967722, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-american-society-of-composers-authors-publishers-nysd-2008.