The Copyright Office Solicits Comment on Music Streaming Fraud – IPWatchdog.com reports that the U.S. Copyright Office published a notice of inquiry in the Federal Register on Oct. 7, 2026, asking for public input on streaming fraud and related issues affecting royalties and platforms.
The Federal Register notice (Docket No. 2026-6) says the Office is “soliciting information from the public regarding issues related to music streaming fraud,” and it lists a set of specific questions about techniques such as bot farms, playlist stuffing, account hijacking and fraudulent claiming of works. The notice frames the inquiry as responding to a May request from Representative Scott Fitzgerald to examine the prevalence of streaming fraud and how it affects the music industry.
IPWatchdog’s story highlights the Office’s list of harms, noting the NOI asks how fraudulent streams may divert royalties, damage business relationships and distort data-driven decisions like touring and venue selection. IPWatchdog also quotes the NOI’s connection to a recent criminal case and describes the Office asking for data on ties between streaming fraud and AI-generated music uploads.
Billboard reports that public comments to the inquiry are due Nov. 23, 2026, and that the Copyright Office called for data and suggestions that “may contribute to Congress’s understanding of streaming fraud, current efforts to curb this problem and potential solutions.” Billboard also summarizes industry anti-fraud initiatives and cites the recent criminal prosecution of Michael Smith, who pleaded guilty to using bots and AI-generated tracks to inflate streams.
The Federal Register document provides concrete filing details: written comments must be submitted through Regulations.gov and be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 23, 2026, with reply comments due by December 21, 2026. The notice appears as FR Doc. 2026-20537 and includes background on the economic importance of streaming, estimating domestic streaming revenues for sound recordings at about $9.5 billion and $22 billion globally in cited figures.
The Office’s NOI explicitly asks for data on “the effects of AI-generated [music]” and how AI may affect licensing and distribution of royalties, signaling the agency wants information on both technical schemes (bot farms, click farms) and the role of generative AI in producing content used in fraud. IPWatchdog and Billboard both reference the NOI’s question set and the congressional prompt from Rep. Fitzgerald.
Stakeholders who want to respond can file comments at Regulations.gov under Docket ID COLC-2026-0166; the Federal Register page links to the Regulations.gov comment form and to the Office’s guidance at copyright.gov/policy/music-streaming-fraud. The Copyright Office named Rhea Efthimiadis, Assistant to the General Counsel, as a contact for further information in the Federal Register notice.
What this process means for the industry: the NOI is a fact-finding step that gathers evidence and possible remedies rather than a rulemaking that imposes new legal obligations. Billboard notes the Office asked for data and suggestions “that may contribute to Congress’s understanding” and that Congress could use the results to consider legislative responses.
Sources
- IPWatchdog — reported the Copyright Office’s notice of inquiry and summarized the NOI’s questions and links to the Federal Register and related case references.
- Federal Register — published the official NOI (FR Doc. 2026-20537), the comment deadlines, docket number, and background text including revenue figures and specific questions.
- Billboard — covered the inquiry, quoted the Office’s request for data to inform Congress, and noted the recent criminal sentencing in the Michael Smith streaming-fraud case.
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