AB614: Bill Text

LRB-2690/1

MGD:wlj:kjf

1999 - 2000 LEGISLATURE

1999 Assembly BILL 614

December 1, 1999 - Introduced by Representatives Pettis, Kestell, Jensen, Coggs, Underheim, Klusman, Sykora, Albers, Olsen, Nass, Ward, Handrick, Vrakas, Staskunas, Kreibich, Walker, Musser, Kaufert and Bock, cosponsored by Senators George, Rosenzweig, Panzer, Breske and Grobschmidt. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Personal Privacy.

AB614,1,7 An Act to repeal 943.207 (3); to renumber and amend 943.207 (2); to amend 943.207 (title), 943.207 (1) and 973.075 (5) (intro.); and to create 943.206, 943.207 (1) (c), 943.207 (3m), 943.208, 943.209, 943.49, 973.075 (1) (e) and 973.075 (5m) of the statutes; relating to: unauthorized duplication of a recording, unauthorized recording of a performance, failure to disclose manufacturer of a recording, unauthorized use of a recording device in a movie theater and providing a penalty.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, a person may not knowingly and wilfully transfer recorded sounds without the consent of the owner with intent to sell the record, disc, wire, tape, film or other article onto which the sounds are transferred (an "unlawful transfer"). ("Owner" is defined under current law to mean the person who owns the sounds embodied in the original master recording from which the transferred sounds are directly or indirectly derived.) In addition, a person may not advertise, offer for sale or sell the article onto which such sounds have been transferred (a "pirated recording") with knowledge that the sounds were transferred onto the article without the consent of the owner. A first-time violator of the unlawful transfer prohibition may be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than 90 days or both. For each subsequent unlawful transfer offense, the person may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than nine months or both. A person who knowingly advertises, offers for sale or sells a pirated recording may be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than 90 days or both for each unlawful advertisement, offer or sale.

This bill amends these provisions to prohibit a person from knowingly transporting, offering to rent, renting or possessing pirated recordings. It also limits the prohibitions on unlawful transfers and on transporting pirated recordings to cases in which the person transferred the sounds or transported the pirated recordings for commercial advantage or private financial gain. The penalties for violations are also revised. Under the bill, a violation is generally classified based on the number of recordings involved or, in the case of a pirated recording distributed on the Internet, the number of times the recording was replayed by another person during a 180-day period: - See PDF for table

The bill also creates three new crimes. The first relates to "bootlegging". Under the bill, no person may record a performance without the performer's consent with intent to sell or rent the bootlegged recording. The bill also prohibits individuals who know that a recording has been bootlegged from advertising, offering to sell or rent, selling, renting or transporting the recording or from possessing it for one of those purposes. Violations are generally classified as follows: - See PDF for table

The second new crime relates to counterfeit recordings. Under the bill, no person may knowingly advertise, offer for sale or rent, sell, rent or transport a recording or possess a recording for one of those purposes if the recording does not contain the name and address of the manufacturer of the recording in a prominent place on its cover, jacket or label. Violations are generally classified as follows: - See PDF for table

The provisions regarding the third new crime prohibit a person from using any type of recording device in a movie theater without the written authorization of the theater owner or his or her agent. A person who violates this prohibition is generally guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. The bill also prohibits a person from knowingly advertising, offering for sale or rent, renting or transporting unlawfully recorded movies or possessing a recording for one of those purposes. Penalties are generally classified as follows: - See PDF for table

The penalty provisions applicable to the three new crimes and to the unlawful transfer/pirated recording prohibitions treat repeat offenders separately. Under the bill, a person who commits one of these offenses -- other than the unlawful recording of a movie -- after having been previously convicted of the same offense is guilty of a Class C felony, regardless of the number of recordings or replays involved. A person who violates the provisions regarding unauthorized recording of a movie after having previously been convicted of that offense is guilty of a Class D felony.

The bill also subjects recordings and devices used for recording or for manufacturing, reproducing, packaging or assembling recordings involved in a violation of any of these provisions to forfeiture.

Penalties for violations are as follows: - See PDF for table

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB614, s. 1 Section 1. 943.206 of the statutes is created to read:

AB614,4,1 943.206 Definitions. In this section and ss. 943.207 to 943.209:

AB614,4,2 (1) "Manufacturer" means a person who transfers sounds to a recording.

AB614,4,4 (3) "Performance" means a recital, rendering or playing of a series of words or other sounds, either alone or in combination with images or physical activity.

AB614,4,7 (4) "Performance owner" means the performer or performers or the person to whom the performer or performers have transferred, through a contract, the right to sell recordings of a performance.

AB614,4,9 (5) "Recording" means a medium on or in which sounds or images or both are stored.

AB614, s. 2 Section 2. 943.207 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB614,4,11 943.207 (title) Transfer of recorded sounds for unlawful use; sale.

AB614, s. 3 Section 3. 943.207 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB614,4,14 943.207 (1) Whoever does any of the following may be penalized as provided in sub. (3) (3m):

AB614,4,20 (a) Knowingly and wilfully Intentionally transfers or causes to be transferred, without the consent of the owner, any sounds recorded on a phonograph record, disc, wire, tape, film or other article on which sounds are recorded first embodied in or on a recording before February 15, 1972, with intent to sell or cause to be sold, the article or rent the recording into or onto which such sounds are transferred for commercial advantage or private financial gain.

AB614,4,24 (b) Advertises, offers for sale or rent, sells any article onto which, rents or possesses a recording with knowledge that sounds have been transferred as described in into or onto it in violation of par. (a), with the knowledge that the sounds thereon have been so transferred without the consent of the owner.

AB614, s. 4 Section 4. 943.207 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read:

AB614,5,3 943.207 (1) (c) Transports a recording within this state for commercial advantage or private financial gain with knowledge that sounds have been transferred into or onto the recording in violation of par. (a).

AB614, s. 5 Section 5. 943.207 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 943.206 (2) and amended to read:

AB614,5,11 943.206 (2) In this section "owner" "Owner" means the person who owns the original fixation of sounds embodied in the master phonograph record, master disc, master tape, master film or other device used for reproducing recorded sounds on phonograph records, discs, tapes, films or other articles on which sound is recorded, and sounds in or on a recording from which the transferred sounds are directly or indirectly derived.

AB614, s. 6 Section 6. 943.207 (3) of the statutes is repealed.

AB614, s. 7 Section 7. 943.207 (3m) of the statutes is created to read:

AB614,5,15 943.207 (3m) (a) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor under any of the following circumstances:

AB614,5,18 1. If the person transfers sounds into or onto 100 or fewer recordings or creates, advertises, offers for sale or rent, sells, rents, possesses or transports 100 or fewer recordings in violation of sub. (1) during a 180-day period.

AB614,5,21 2. If the person transfers sounds on or to the Internet in violation of sub. (1) and the transferred sounds are never replayed or are replayed by others from the Internet 100 or fewer times during a 180-day period.

AB614,5,23 (b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a Class D felony under any of the following circumstances:

AB614,6,2 1. If the person transfers sounds into or onto more than 100 but less than 1,000 recordings or advertises, offers for sale or rent, sells, rents, possesses or transports more than 100 but less than 1,000 recordings in violation of sub. (1) during a 180-day period.

AB614,6,5 2. If the person transfers sounds on or to the Internet in violation of sub. (1) and the transferred sounds are replayed by others from the Internet more than 100 but less than 1,000 times during a 180-day period.

AB614,6,7 (c) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a Class C felony under any of the following circumstances:

AB614,6,10 1. If the person transfers sounds into or onto at least 1,000 recordings or advertises, offers for sale or rent, sells, rents, possesses or transports at least 1,000 recordings in violation of sub. (1) during a 180-day period.

AB614,6,13 2. If the person transfers sounds on or to the Internet in violation of sub. (1) and the transferred sounds are replayed by others from the Internet at least 1,000 times during a 180-day period.

AB614,6,14 3. If the violation occurs after the person has been convicted under this section.

AB614, s. 8 Section 8. 943.208 of the statutes is created to read:

AB614,6,18 943.208 Recording performance without consent of performance owner. (1) Whoever does any of the following for commercial advantage or private financial gain may be penalized as provided in sub. (2):

AB614,6,20 (a) Creates a recording of a performance without consent of the performance owner and with intent to sell or rent the recording.

AB614,6,24 (b) Advertises, offers for sale or rent, sells, rents or transports a recording of a performance with knowledge that the sounds, images or both from the performance embodied in the recording were recorded without the consent of the performance owner.