The Copyright Office has just ruled that telephone ringtones are within the ambit of the compuilsory licensing laws. The RIAA asked for the ruling, and was opposed by the copyright owners' associations.

The copyright owners should have won, because:

Copyright Owners reiterate that the market for ringtones is thriving and no compulsory license is needed to ensure its continued growth. The suggestion by RIAA that, absent compulsory licensing, music publishers will “prevent the commercialization” of ringtones is belied by the years of voluntary licensing of compositions by music publishers for such uses.

But this is not dispositive, of course, because of the barnacled history of copyright law. I am really thinking that the kludges being used to adapt the law to the digital age are about exhausted, and that a clean sheet law is necessary.

But why was the RIAA, usually staunch in opposition to compulstory licensing, pushing for it in this case? Seems strange.

Link from I/P Updates.