Copyright law in the United States is almost exclusively governed by the federal Copyright Act, which preempts equivalent state laws.  As originally drafted, however, the Copyright Act of 1976 – the current iteration of the Act – made an exception for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, leaving those works to be regulated by the states.   State law thus applies to determine the rights and remedies available to the copyright owner of pre-1972 sound recordings. Continue reading »