Yesterday I wrote about the bombshell proposal from the Register of Copyrights to eliminate the compulsory mechanical license for sound recordings (Forget Grokster? A Recording Industry Bombshell from the Copyright Office). While you're waiting for the Grokster decision, why not check out this detailed summary of the Copyright Office's draft legislation from the Silicon Valley Media Law Blog (More on Proposed 21st Century Music Licensing Reform Act).

The legislation could be called the “MRO Empowerment Act of 2005”, as it benefits the music rights organizations (MROs) by legislatively entrenching them in the role of collective licensing bodies and eliminating their antitrust constraints. Licensees of music rights would benefit from one-stop shopping for licenses of digital audio transmissions, but they are severely disadvantaged by the elimination of the compulsory license and statutory rate ceiling.