WASHINGTON, DC (Top 40 Charts/ NMPA) -
David Israelite, President & CEO of the NMPA, responded to this morning's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of MGM v. Grokster:
"Speaking on behalf of the over 27,000 music publishers and songwriters that were represented by the National Music Publishers' Association, we are tremendously gratified by the Court's unanimous decision that peer-to-peer services which promote piracy can be sued. Grokster and Streamcast knowingly facilitated piracy on a massive scale. This decision is an enormous victory for all of those who value the creative process, and will promote the growth of legitimate, legal entertainment services on the Internet while sending a clear message to those who promote piracy that they can no longer profit at the expense of the creative industry."
Background:
The NMPA, on behalf of a certified class of over 27,000 songwriters and music publishers, along with the RIAA and MPAA, brought the case against the illegal peer to peer music services Grokster and Streamcast to the U.S. Supreme Court after it was tried in the Ninth Circuit Court in California. The case, charging that Grokster and Streamcast facilitated copyright infringement on a massive scale, was heard by the Court on March 29, 2005. The NMPA's brief can be found on its website at www.nmpa.org.
David Israelite was named the President and CEO of the NMPA in February 2005. Under his leadership the NMPA has moved its headquarters from New York to Washington, DC to facilitate increased interaction with Congress, the Administration, the federal judiciary and other intellectual property trade groups. Prior to joining the NMPA, Israelite served in the Bush Administration as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Attorney General of the United States. In March of 2004, the Attorney General appointed Israelite Chairman of the Department's Task Force on Intellectual Property. As Chairman, Israelite led a team of high-ranking officials in examining all aspects of how the Department of Justice handles intellectual property issues and implementing proposals developed by the Task Force.
About the NMPA
Founded in 1917, The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) is a trade association representing almost 600 American music publishers. The NMPA's mandate is to protect and advance the interests of music publishers and their songwriter partners in matters relating to the domestic and global protection of music copyrights.
Music publishers control the copyrights for the underlying compositions of songs on behalf of the songwriters they represent. The NMPA is the leading trade association in the United States for music publishers, and advocates for their interests, as well as for their songwriter partners, by protecting, upholding, and advancing their valuable copyrights. The Harry Fox Agency, Inc., a subsidiary of the NMPA, is the premier U.S. mechanical rights organization.
