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§ 30-16B-5 NMSA 1978

Unauthorized recording of live performances; penalties

Known as the Unauthorized Recording Act

The act spans §§ 30–30 (9 sections).

Laws 1991, ch. 112, § 5; 2005, ch. 248, § 3.

A. It is unlawful for any person for commercial advantage or private financial gain to advertise, offer for sale, sell, rent, transport, cause the sale, resale, rental or transportation of or possess for one or more of these purposes a recording of a live performance that has been recorded or fixed without the consent of the owner.

B. Any person violating the provisions of Subsection A of this section:

(1) when the offense involves seven or more unauthorized recordings embodying sound or seven or more audiovisual recordings, at any one time, is guilty of a fourth degree felony and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978; and

(2) when the offense involves fewer than seven unauthorized recordings embodying sound or fewer than seven audiovisual recordings, at any one time, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-19-1 NMSA 1978.

C. In the absence of a written agreement or law to the contrary, the performer of a live performance is presumed to own the rights to record or fix those sounds.

D. For the purposes of this section, a person who is authorized to maintain custody and control over business records that reflect whether the owner of the live performance consented to having the live performance recorded or fixed is a competent witness in a proceeding regarding the issue of consent.

Official source: NMOneSource (New Mexico Compilation Commission). Reproduced from public-domain New Mexico statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.