>A case in point is the
>  company that is claiming its patent involving
>  a way to sell player piano music somehow gives
>  them the right to "a cut" whenever you download
>  a file from a network.

I would suggest contacting the licensing dept. of ASCAP in New York.
As a composer & publisher member,  when I make a file available for
downloading, I indicate that it is for personal enjoyment only and may
not be distributed for profit.  Knowing that this is ambiguous and
impossible to enforce at best,  I only allow tunes out that will give a
demonstration of the styles I offer. If I want to make some money (not
easily done in this business),  I will issue arrangements for sale on
disks.  THEN-  if any of the tunes that have been released as disk
numbers,  "appear" on a BBS or FTP or Web site for "free" downloading,
I will have a trackable (in theory) data trail to pursue prosecution.

I hope this input and opinion may be of some use.

Stephen Kent Goodman¶
dba Sound Traditions Publishing, A.S.C.A.P.