Same beat, different rights: US Court of Appeals says that it matters whether you copy a musical work or a sound recording

Earlier this month, the Seventh Circuit of the US Court of Appeals rendered a decision (Eddie Richardson v Karim Kharbouch) concerning the different scope of protection musical compositions and sound recordings are entitled to enjoy. Although the court’s findings are not particularly novel or unexpected, they touch upon some of the most debated issues in music copyright, namely music sampling and