A U.S. House of Representatives panel has indefinitely postponed a meeting, set for Thursday, that would have focused on a different method for setting copyright royalties for radio and Internet broadcasts.

A new bill, titled the Copyright Royalty and Distribution Act, calls for the Library of Congress to hire a full-time judge who would hear disputes over "reasonable" royalty rates.

The bill makes dozens of changes to one of the most convoluted portions of U.S. copyright law, which essentially says the federal government will set rates for compulsory licenses for broadcasts and Webcasts of music. Because it is backed by Reps. Lamar Smith of Texas, and Howard Berman of California, the top Republican and Democrat on the House subcommittee overseeing copyright law, the measure had been expected to receive a favorable reception at Thursday's hearing.

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