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OFF BEAT: Artists alliance sings blues over built-in car audio recorders

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The Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies Inc. says it’s being taken for a ride by American automobile manufacturers.

The Alliance, a nonprofit organization formed as a result of the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, collects and distributes royalties generated by the sales of blank CDs, personal audio devices, media centers, satellite radio devices and car audio systems with recording capabilities.

It filed a lawsuit Friday against Clarion Corp. of America, Denso International America Inc., Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. for allegedly violating the act by manufacturing, importing and distributing digital audio recording devices that are “either preinstalled in vehicles or intended for use in vehicles” without paying royalties, court records show.

The devices can be found in vehicles like the GMC Terrain and the Ford Mustang.

“While no one likes litigation, Ford, GM, Denso, and Clarion have stonewalled long enough, and we are determined to collect the royalties our members — and all artists and music creators with rights under the AHRA — are owed,” Linda Bocchi, executive director of the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies, said in a statement on the organization’s website.

According to records, other manufacturers that distribute similar in-vehicle CD-copying devices submit required royalty payments to the U.S. Copyright Office.

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