IPG, an agent for royalty claimants in these proceedings, filed suit challenging Copyright Royalty Judges’ denial of most of its clients’ royalty fee claims for programming in the devotional and program suppliers’ categories that was retransmitted by cable during specific years. IPG lost the right to pursue many of its clients’ claims as a result of a discovery sanction and ultimately failed to establish for certain claims that it was a duly appointed agent pressing valid claims.

The DC Circuit affirmed the Judges’ decisions as to IPG’s challenge to the revocation of the presumption of validity where the Judges did not abuse their discretion in withholding the presumption based on false testimony and where IPG received constitutionally adequate due process; affirmed as to IPG’s challenge to the imposition of discovery sanctions where the sanction, while harsh, was not arbitrary and capricious and did not violate due process; and affirmed as to IPG’s challenge to the final distribution of royalties where the Judges’ distribution methodology decisions were well within a zone of reasonableness. View “Independent Producers Group v. Copyright Royalty Board” on Justia Law