Collins, Conyers Urge DOJ to Drop 100% Licensing Language From Consent Decrees Decision

House Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers, D-Mich., House IP Subcommittee Vice Chairman Doug Collins, R-Ga., and 16 other House lawmakers jointly urged DOJ Wednesday to drop 100 percent licensing language from its decision on its review of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Broadcast Music Inc. consent decrees (see 1608040066). U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton, the BMI rate court judge, struck down the 100 percent licensing language in New York this month as it related to BMI's consent decree. That ruling has likely set the stage for additional legal challenges (see 1609190062). Given Stanton’s ruling, “DOJ can no longer maintain that the language of the ASCAP and BMI consent decrees clearly prohibits fractional licensing,” Collins, Conyers and the other lawmakers said in a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “DOJ should take prompt action to limit the confusion and chaos the closing statement creates in the market, and restore certainty to the efficient licensing by ASCAP and BMI of public performing rights.” The other House members who signed the letter were: House IP ranking member Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Reps. Karen Bass, D-Calif.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Tony Cardenas, D-Calif.; Judy Chu, D-Calif.; David Cicilline, D-R.I.; Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.; Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.; Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; Joe Crowley, D-N.Y.; Trent Franks, R-Ariz.; Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; Hank Johnson, D-Ga.; Ted Lieu, D-Calif.; Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. DOJ didn't comment.