Press Release

Music Publishers and Amway Reach Agreement.
Over thirty music publishers have reached an agreement with certain independent Amway distributors, video producers and Amway Corporation to resolve a copyright infringement suit concerning the use of copyrighted songs on videotapes. The suit was brought last year by the publishers in federal district court in the Middle District of Florida with the support of the National Music Publishers' Association, Inc., the principal trade association representing music publishers in the United States, and its licensing subsidiary, The Harry Fox Agency, Inc. Based on the agreement, all of the music publishers' claims will be dismissed, the music publishers will be compensated for past uses of their music, and a mechanism for future licensing has been established. Additional terms of the agreement are confidential.

"We are pleased that under the agreement, the producers and distributors of the videotapes will be able to use copyrighted music, while at the same time the copyright owners will be fairly compensated for past and future uses," said Edward P. Murphy, President and CEO of the National Music Publishers' Association. "By this agreement, two major goals of the music publishing community are achieved: the protection of copyright principles, and the encouragement of music licensing and use."

Amway and its distributors denied any wrongdoing on the ground that they believe most of the videotapes cited in the complaint were produced by a now defunct video producer who assured the distributors that proper copyright licenses were in place. Neither Amway nor its distributors admitted liability as part of the agreement.

The National Music Publishers' Association, founded in 1917, works to protect and advance the interests of the music publishing industry. With over 600 members, the NMPA represents the most important and influential music publishing firms throughout the United States. The Harry Fox Agency, Inc., provides an information source, clearinghouse, and monitoring service for the licensing of music copyrights, and represents over 17,000 music publishers.