Collective Management of Copyrights between Competition, Regulation, and Monopolism

The collective management of copyrights has traditionally occupied a fundamental role in the exploitation of exclusive rights. Yet, the environment for collective management organizations (CMOs) like ASCAP and BMI has undergone profound changes in recent years; the question of how regulation should respond to these changes remains unresolved. Suggested answers oscillate between national monopolies for CMOs and free competition among these organizations. To contribute to this discussion, the present research deals with the collective management of copyrights and copyright regulation in the European Union and the United States.