Press Release
| NATIONAL MUSIC PUBLISHERS’ ASSOCIATION’S JACQUELINE CHARLESWORTH HONORED |
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For Immediate Release (December 7, 2006) – Jacqueline C. Charlesworth, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), recently received a prestigious Association of Media & Entertainment Counsel of the Year award . Charlesworth won the Public Service Counsel award for her contribution at a critical time in the history of the music industry. Charlesworth serves as the primary legal advisor for legislative and legal initiatives for NMPA, the leading association representing the interests of music publishers in the U.S. She has been instrumental in crafting the Section 115 Reform Act, passed by the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property in 2006, to amend the U.S. Copyright Act by creating a blanket licensing system for digital services. Charlesworth also oversees NMPA’s groundbreaking litigation efforts, including the music publishers’ cases against illegal peer-to-peer services. “Jacqueline Charlesworth has been an important part of our fight to protect music publishers’ rights,” said David Israelite, NMPA President and CEO. “She is a skilled litigator and a dogged advocate for music publishers. We are thrilled that she is being recognized for her contribution to the music industry.” “It is a privilege to honor the dedicated work of counsel like Jacqueline Charlesworth, who not only diligently represent their organization but are also helping shape and develop the business models which will serve the entertainment industry in the future,” added William Simon, the head of the Global Entertainment and Media Practice at Korn Ferry International and one of the founders of the Counsel of the Year Awards. Prior to her position with NMPA, Charlesworth served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for The Harry Fox Agency, Inc., the premier licensing agency representing music publishers in the U.S. She is a graduate of Brown University and Yale Law School. The NMPA recently has experienced a number of victories in its ongoing battle to ensure hard-working songwriters and music publishers are fairly compensated for the music they create. In September, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson stated that Streamcast Networks, Inc., the company behind peer-to-peer application Morpheus, promoted massive copyright infringement by inducing its users to exchange music and movies without permission of the copyright holders. Last year, music publishers and others in the creative community won a unanimous decision in the U.S. Supreme Court against Streamcast and Grokster. The Media and Entertainment Counsel of the Year Awards is an annual series to honor the top general counsel and business affairs attorneys at media, entertainment and communications companies. The winners were announced on December 1 during an event at the Friars Club in Beverly Hills. For more information about the awards program, please see www.theamec.com/awards. About the NMPA The National Music Publishers’ Association is committed to promoting and advancing the interests of music publishers and their songwriting partners. As the trade association for the music publishing industry, NMPA’s goal is to foster a business climate that allows its members to thrive creatively and financially. Founded in 1917, NMPA battles for domestic and global protection of copyrights. |
