Press Release
| Music Publishers and Bertelsmann Announce Settlement |
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Washington, DC – The National Music Publishers’ Association (“NMPA”) today jointly announced with Bertelsmann AG and Bertelsmann, Inc. a settlement of litigation arising out of claims asserted by certain members of NMPA relating to Bertelsmann’s relationship with Napster in 2000-2001. The litigation was previously certified as a class action, and accordingly the settlement requires court approval. The class settlement agreement will be filed with the court later today for preliminary approval, and the settlement is expected to become final in several months’ time. Bertelsmann admits no liability in making this statement. 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. About Bertelsmann AG Bertelsmann is an international media company encompassing television (RTL Group), book publishing (Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), music (BMG), media services (Arvato), and media clubs (DirectGroup) in more than 60 countries. Bertelsmann’s claim is to inspire people around the world with first-class media and communications offerings – entertainment, information and services – and occupy leading positions in its respective markets. The foundation of Bertelsmann's success is a corporate culture based on partnership, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and corporate responsibility. The company strives to bring creative new ideas to market and create value. Bertelsmann is comprised of the television channels, television production companies, and radio stations of Europe's largest entertainment group, RTL Group (RTL Television, M6, Five, Fremantle Media), and the more than 120 publishing houses of Random House, the world's largest trade book publisher (Alfred A. Knopf, Bantam, Goldmann). Gruner + Jahr is Europe's number one magazine publisher (Stern, Geo, Neon, Capital). The Sony BMG joint venture in the BMG division is synonymous with creativity and strong international music brands (Beyoncé, Dixie Chicks, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera). The Arvato media and communications services division brings together distribution, service centers and customer-relationship management, state-of-the art printing manufacturing, storage media production, mobile services, and comprehensive IT services. Bertelsmann's direct-to-customer businesses are unified within the Direct Group: book, DVD, and music clubs with more than thirty-five million members worldwide (Der Club, France Loisirs), as well as book retailers in France and Portugal. In fiscal 2006, Bertelsmann, with approximately 97,000 employees, generated revenues of 19.3 billion euros. |
