Japanese copyright group under fire

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission, citing anti-monopoly restrictions, has asked a musicians’ copyright protection group to stop collecting usage fees, sources say.

The unidentified sources said the commission alleges the usage fees collected by the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers reduce competition, creating a music copyright industry monopoly, the Kyodo News Agency reported Sunday.

JASRAC management serves nearly 99 percent of the Japanese music industry, collecting 1.5 percent of the revenue of broadcasters that use songs under copyright.

However, broadcasters pay higher fees when using songs not under JASRAC copyright. Trade commission officials have deemed that practice indicative of an industry monopoly as it leads broadcasters to avoid the pricier non-JASRAC tunes in favor of the protection group’s songs.

Kyodo reported sources as saying the commission will likely ask JASRAC officials to alter the copyright regulations so applicable fees are linked to how frequently music under copyright is used.