Karyn K. Ablin

Photo of Karyn K. Ablin Karyn Ablin is a member of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, P.L.C. and specializes in intellectual property issues, especially those relating to music licensing and other copyright-related issues. She has more than two decades of experience representing broadcasters and others before the Copyright Royalty Board, the ASCAP Rate Court, and other federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. Karyn also counsels clients in issues relating to the use of music and other copyrighted content, especially with regard to the statutory license applicable to webcasting and the use of music by over-the-air broadcasters, satellite radio operators, and telecommunications providers. She also negotiates music licenses and represents clients in music licensing fee disputes and has experience litigating patent, trademark, and non-intellectual property matters, including those before federal regulatory agencies and federal courts. Ms. Ablin received her law degree from the University of Virginia, where she graduated Order of the Coif and was an Executive Editor of the Virginia Law Review and a member of the Editorial Board of the Virginia Journal of International Law. She graduated with two undergraduate degrees, summa cum laude, from Oral Roberts University, majoring in math and music. She also studied at the Sorbonne in France, Martin Luther University in Germany, and the International Institutes of Law and Social Change in the Netherlands, as well as Northern Arizona University. Karyn was named by The Legal 500 US as a “recommended lawyer” for copyright law both 2015 and 2016.

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Attention Webcasters: January 31 Deadline for Filing Minimum Fee for Webcasting is Rapidly Approaching

The January 31, 2022 deadline for filing your annual minimum fee and related statement of account with SoundExchange under the webcasting statutory licenses under 17 U.S.C. § 112 and 114 allowing radio broadcasters and others to stream sound recordings (the “statutory licenses”) is just around the corner.  The easiest way to pay this fee is to … Continue Reading

RMLC-GMR Interim License Version 6.0:  The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Commercial radio stations represented by the Radio Music License Committee (“RMLC”) should take note of yet another extension – through March 31, 2020 – of the interim license allowing those stations to play music in the repertory of Global Music Rights (“GMR”) while the RMLC and GMR continue to duke out their music licensing differences … Continue Reading

ATTENTION OLDIES STATIONS (OR OTHERS WHO PLAY PRE-72 RECORDINGS): Think Twice Before You Pony Up Three Years of Royalties Under New MMA Provision

Remember our April 4, 2019 “CALLING ALL OLDIES STATIONS!” post that alerted you to a simple form you could file to receive certain protections from potentially crippling infringement awards for unauthorized uses of sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972 (aka “pre-72 recordings”)?  That post created quite a stir.  In fact, we were flooded with … Continue Reading

RMLC-GMR Continue to Fight (but Also Agree To Extend Interim License for Yet Another Six Months)

One of the most famous movie franchises ever is the “Rocky” series.  From its origin as an underdog story where an unknown fighter named Rocky Balboa shocks the world by taking heavyweight champion Apollo Creed the distance (spoiler alert: only to lose the fight but get the girl) through sequels II (Rocky Wins!), III (Mr. … Continue Reading

Webcaster Wake Up Call: The (Not Entirely) Shutdown Update

This is the promised follow up to our December 14, 2018 post regarding the compliance obligations for 2019 under the statutory licenses found in Sections 112 and 114 of the Copyright Act (the “statutory licenses”) allowing webcasters to make public performances sound recordings via digital audio transmission and to make related temporary copies of those … Continue Reading

Webcaster Wake Up Call!

We usually publish our “Webcaster Wake Up Call!” post each January.  This post reminds webcasting services of their compliance obligations for the upcoming year under the statutory licenses found in Sections 112 and 114 of the Copyright Act (the “statutory licenses”) allowing them to publicly perform sound recordings via digital audio transmission.  Part of the … Continue Reading

Attention Commercial Radio Stations: Upcoming Deadline for Eligible Stations to Receive Retroactive Refund of Certain SESAC License Fees

If you are a commercial radio station that authorized the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) to represent you in negotiations and litigation against SESAC, then you need to act quickly to receive the full fruits of the RMLC’s labor. Unless you return an executed copy of the RMLC-SESAC radio license to SESAC by March 26, … Continue Reading

Commercial Broadcasters March Toward a Second Extension of GMR Interim License

Over the past 14 months, we’ve kept our readers updated on the music licensing fight between the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) and Global Music Rights (GMR). This, of course, started when the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on the terms of a license that would allow the commercial radio stations represented by the … Continue Reading

Rates to Perform Musical Compositions in 2018-2022 Published for Noncommercial Broadcasters

Attention, noncommercial educational (NCE, a/k/a “public”) broadcasters! If you have been wondering how much you’ll have to pay to broadcast musical compositions this year (and beyond), wonder no more. The rates for 2018 through 2022 were published in the Federal Register on January 19. For those new to the issue, these rates have been administered … Continue Reading

Halloween Tricks for Flo & Eddie and Treats for SiriusXM

Florida Finds No Public Performance Right in Pre-1972 Sound Recordings   If you have been following the ongoing saga regarding the attempts of pre-1972 (aka “oldies”) sound recording owners to collect royalties when those recordings are performed, you will know that some recent key court rulings have been issued near major holidays. For example, New … Continue Reading

Commercial Radio Stations Offered Opportunity to Extend Interim License with GMR

No sooner did we report an update on the dispute between the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) and Global Music Rights (GMR), do we have another update to share.  Only this time, the update: (1) is less wonky/more practical, (2) is good news for commercial radio stations, and (3) requires action by affected stations.… Continue Reading

RMLC Seeks PI; Attempts to Stay in PA, Avoid CA

(As end of GMR Interim License Period Approaches, fight over GMR’s refusal to deal with Pennsylvania radio stations has implications for others around the country) We’ve written (and talked) plenty about the fight between the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) – which represents the interests of the commercial radio industry in negotiating licenses with performing … Continue Reading

Independent Decisionmakers Reduce SESAC’s Commercial Radio License Rate by Tens of Millions of Dollars

(Stations will pay 60% less than old SESAC rate card) While the fight between the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) and Global Music Rights (GMR) has captured music licensing headlines in 2016 and 2017 (including here at Commlawblog), it has previously been RMLC v. SESAC which stole the show.  (Recall that until GMR came on … Continue Reading

Pre-1972 Fight with a Twist: Georgia Supreme Court Exempts Internet Streaming from State Record Piracy Statute

(Court also compares Internet Radio to Terrestrial Under State Law) A Georgia Supreme Court decision on a narrow issue relating to the use of pre-1972 sound recordings creates an interesting new topic for discussion in this area, even as the holding in this case is itself necessarily limited to Georgia. The case is iHeartMedia v.Sheridan, … Continue Reading

Second Circuit Gives Belated Valentine’s Day Gift to Music Licensees by Ruling for Sirius XM Regarding Its Use of Pre-72 Sound Recordings

We previously told you about the Christmas gift that New York’s highest state court had given to licensees that play “oldies” recordings by finding that the owners of those recordings had no right to demand payment when the recordings were publicly performed in New York.  That ruling came in one of many lawsuits that Flo … Continue Reading

Webcaster Wake Up Call!

SoundExchange reports, payments due soon On February 2nd the groundhog best known as “Punxsutawney Phil” will be plucked from the comfort of his underground lair and ceremoniously asked to “predict” the end of winter.  Of course, this tradition was memorably portrayed in the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” in which Bill Murray’s Phil Connors relives a … Continue Reading

Radio Music License Committee and Global Music Rights Reach Interim License Agreement

(Stations Fearing a Difficult Choice Before January 1 now have until January 31 to opt in to an interim license agreement and continue playing GMR songs through September.) If you are a radio station, especially a commercial radio station primarily playing music, you are probably aware of the dueling lawsuits filed by the Radio Music … Continue Reading

Merry Christmas to the Licensee Community from New York! Appeals Court Holds No New York Performance Right in Sound Recordings

In what comes as an early Christmas gift for those who play “oldies” music – think Sirius XM Radio, radio broadcasters, and webcasters – and coal in the stockings of the owners of those recordings, New York’s highest state court ruled today that New York does not recognize a public performance right in sound recordings. … Continue Reading

Noncommercial Broadcasters Receive Welcome Reporting News

Copyright Royalty Judges Reinstate Reporting Relief for Most Noncommercial Broadcasters You may recall that in August 2016, we reported that the Copyright Royalty Judges had proposed to modify the rules governing how noncommercial broadcasters are supposed to report the sound recordings that they stream to SoundExchange. That proposal was published at the urging of the … Continue Reading

GMR Strikes Back

We previously informed you about the Radio Music License Committee’s (RMLC) antitrust lawsuit filed against the “fourth” performing rights organization (“PRO”), Global Music Rights (“GMR”) for engaging in anticompetitive conduct designed to drive up music licensing prices.  Now, GMR has filed an antitrust lawsuit of its own in a different federal court against the RMLC. … Continue Reading

RMLC Seeks to Subject GMR to the Same Competitive Restraints Governing ASCAP’s, BMI’s, and SESAC’s Licensing Practices

We have previously written here, here, here, and here about the Radio Music License Committee’s (“RMLC’s”) successful attempt to impose on SESAC some of the same competitive restrictions that limit ASCAP’s and BMI’s ability to demand inflated license prices for publicly performing the musical compositions of their members. It was only a matter of time … Continue Reading
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