Tasini Press Release

[Ann Okerson <aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
Contact: Jonathan Tasini, (212)-254-0279
Lindsay Barenz, (202)-842-3100

National Writers Union and UAW hail Supreme Court ruling as victory for
creators and consumers

Leaders of the National Writers Union and the International Union, UAW
described today's Supreme Court ruling-which upholds copyright protections
for free-lance writers-as a victory for creators and consumers.  Union
leaders also offered to begin negotiations immediately with the publishing
industry to resolve billions of dollars in potential liabilities created
by repeat violations of U.S. copyright law.

"The Court has upheld the spirit of the Constitutional protection for
copyright, which was written for the benefit of individual authors," said
Jonathan Tasini, president of the National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981)
and the lead plaintiff in Tasini vs. New York Times.  "Now, it's time for
the media industry to pay creators their fair share and let's sit down and
negotiate over this today."

By a 7-2 majority, the Court upheld a September 1999 unanimous ruling by
the U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, which found that The New York
Times and publishers had committed copyright infringement when they resold
freelance newspaper and magazine articles, via electronic databases such
as LexisNexis, without asking permission or making additional payments to
the original authors.

"We're proud to have supported our members in the National Writers Union
in their fight to be treated fairly by the publishing industry," said UAW
President Stephen P. Yokich.  "Today's decision paves the way for writers
and other creators to be fairly compensated for their work.  That's good
news all of us, because we all benefit when the legal protections of
copyright encourage the creation of new art, science, and literature."

The International Union, UAW, has provided legal and financial support for
the groundbreaking litigation, which was filed by nine free-lance members
of UAW Local 1981, the National Writers Union, in 1993

"Our message to the publishing industry now is:  let's negotiate," said
UAW Vice President Elizabeth Bunn, who directs the union's Technical,
Office and Professional Department.  "The New York Times and other
publishers face billions of dollars of potential liability for selling
articles to which they hold no copyright.  The way to settle these
obligations is to meet at the bargaining table, so we can find solutions
that are fair to writers, to the industry, and for consumers."

The NWU, Tasini said, is already party to a class action lawsuit, which
will enforce the copyright protections affirmed today by the Supreme
Court.

"We want to settle past claims in a reasonable fashion, and establish a
mechanism so that free-lancers can be compensated fairly from now on,"
said Tasini.  The Publication Rights Clearinghouse (PRC), said Tasini,
established by the NWU in 1993, offers a way for writers and publisher to
track the ownership of copyright, and payment for authorized re-sale of
copyrighted works.  Free-lance writers, whether or not they are NWU
members, can use the PRC to license their works by visiting www.nwu.org.

Further details regarding the Tasini vs. New York Times litigation can be
found at: www.nwu.org/tvt/vichome.htm

The National Writers Union has 7,000 members nationwide, including
journalists, book authors, technical writers and poets. It is the only
union dedicated solely to advancing the interests of freelance writers.

The International Union, UAW has more than 1.3 million active and retired
members, including more than 100,00 members in its Technical, Office and
Professional Department.  In addition to free-lance writers, the UAW also
represents attorneys, clerical workers, educators, firefighters, graphic
designers, health care workers, librarians, museum workers, public
employees, and many others.

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