Trade Agency Judge Shaw Named to Lead US Copyright Royalty Board

David P. Shaw, a former International Trade Commission administrative law judge, will head the US tribunal tasked with setting and adjusting royalty rates for statutory copyright licenses in music and other industries, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced Monday.

Shaw will replace Suzanne Barnett, who has served as interim chief royalty judge of the Copyright Royalty Board since November 2021.

He joins the three-judge board as it works to finalize a proposed increase of the “mechanical” royalty rate for songwriters to 12 cents, up from the 9.1-cent rate that’s been on the books for the past 16 years. The proposal ...