Court won’t hear challenge to copyright board

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court won’t hear a challenge to the authority of the board that sets royalty rates for musical works.

The high court on Tuesday refused to hear an appeal challenging the Copyright Royalty Board, a panel of three copyright judges appointed by the Librarian of Congress.

Intercollegiate Broadcast System, Inc. said the board should be appointed instead by the president and confirmed by the Senate. They want to have overturned a decision by the board that noncommercial educational webcasters pay an annual fee of $500 per channel for a license authorizing the webcasting of unlimited amounts of music.

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to hear their appeal, and the Supreme Court did as well.