,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dggb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #bi1 #bjad ,mr4 
,holding 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,conyers1   
,mr4 ,coble1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,ms4     
,chu1 ,mr4 ,cooper1 ,mr4 ,deutch1 ,mr4  
,gohmert1 and ,mr4 ,jeffries7 introduced
 the following bill2 which was referred 
to the ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a 
,,bill  ,to amend title #ag1 ,united    
,states ,code1 to provide for the       
payment of royalties for the performance
 of sound recordings fixed before       
,february #ae1 #aigb1 and for other     
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,respecting ,senior 
,performers as ,essential ,cultural     
,treasures ,act or the ,,respect ,act4  
#b4 ,payment for use of certain sound   
recordings ,section #aad7;f77#d7 of     
title #ag1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended by adding at the end the        
following3  7,d7  7i7 ,any person       
publicly performing sound recordings    
protected under this title by means of  

transmissions under a statutory license 
under this section1 or making           
reproductions of such sound recordings  
under section #aab7;e71 shall make      
royalty payments for transmissions that 
person makes of sound recordings that   
were fixed before ,february #ae1 #aigb1 
and reproductions that person makes of  
those sound recordings under the        
circumstances described in section      
#aab7;e77#a71 in the same manner as such
 person does for sound recordings that  
are protected under this title4  7ii7   
,if a person fails to make royalty      
payments described in clause 7i7 for    
sound recordings fixed before ,february 
#ae1 #aigb1 there shall be available1 in
 addition to any remedy that may be     
available under the laws of any ,state1 
a civil action in an appropriate ,united
 ,states district court for recovery    
limited to the payments described in    
clause 7i71 in addition to interest1    
costs1 and attorneys' fees4 ,any such   
recovery that is obtained shall be      

offset against any recovery for such    
violation that may be available under   
the laws of any ,state4  7iii7 ,no      
action may be brought under the laws of 
any ,state against a transmitting entity
 alleging infringement of a right       
equivalent to the right granted in      
section #ajf7f7 based on a public       
performance of a sound recording fixed  
before ,february #ae1 #aigb1 or alleging
 infringement of a right equivalent to  
the right granted in section #ajf7a7    
based on a reproduction of such a sound 
recording1 if--  7,i7 the performance   
would have been subject to statutory    
licensing under subsection 7d77#b7 if   
the sound recording had been first fixed
 on or after ,february #ae1 #aigb2      
7,,ii7 the reproduction would have been 
subject to statutory licensing under    
section #aab7;e77#a7 if the sound       
recording had been first fixed on or    
after ,february #ae1 #aigb2  7,,iii7 the
 transmitting entity has satisfied the  
requirements for statutory licensing    

under subparagraph 7,b7 and section     
#aab7;e77#f72 and  7,,iv7 the applicable
 royalty was paid and accounted for     
under this subparagraph4  7iv7 ,this    
subparagraph does not confer copyright  
protection under this title upon sound  
recordings that were fixed before       
,february #ae1 #aigb4 ,such sound       
recordings are subject to the protection
 available under the laws of the        
,states1 and except as provided in      
clause 7iii71 are not subject to any    
limitation of rights or remedies1 or any
 defense1 provided under this title4    
7v7 ,this subparagraph shall have no    
effect with respect to any public       
performance that is made of a sound     
recording1 or reproduction that is made 
of a sound recording under the          
circumstances described in section      
#aab7;e77#a71 on or after ,february #ae1
 #bjfg4  4  #c4 ,effective date ,the    
amendments made by this ,act shall apply
 to performances and reproductions of   
sound recordings occurring on or after  

the date of the enactment of this ,act4