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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Radio station officials recently breathed a sign of relief when the US Department of Justice announced the ASCAP and BMI antitrust consent decrees would remain as is.

Womble Carlyle Telecom attorney John Garziglia looks at ASCAP and BMI in a new Radio Ink column. These consent decrees give radio stations full license to broadcast songs for a flat fee, without having to seek licenses from every songwriter involved in creating the music. Such fractional licensing (which exists in the movie soundtrack industry) would create logistical nightmares and the constant threat of copyright infringement litigation to radio stations.

Click here to read “The Song Remains the Same” in Radio Ink.

John Garziglia represents radio and television broadcasters, offering personalized assistance in all areas of communications and telecommunications law including transactional and contract negotiations for broadcast station mergers and acquisitions, the securing of financing, governmental auctions of new frequencies, license renewals, new stations applications, facility changes, facility upgrades, licensing, and compliance with FCC rules, regulations and policies.

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Follow John Garziglia on Twitter at @JohnGarziglia.