ASCAP and Official Software, LLC Announce Major New Alliance Benefiting ASCAP Members.

Entertainment & Technology Editors

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2002

ASCAP Senior Vice President - New Media, Chris Amenita, today announced an important new agreement between the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Official Software, LLC.

The alliance provides ASCAP members with exclusive new benefits in the crucial copyright filing process.

Official Software(TM) offers streamlined and valuable on-line copyright filing and software resources for music creators to protect their works through Copyright registration. The Company's first product, award-winning OfficialCopyright(TM) Software, is the only software with a unique interview process and forms that are certified by the U.S. Copyright Office. What makes this agreement valuable to ASCAP members is that OfficialCopyright(TM) on-line and software filing tools are available at an exclusive discount through a customized OfficialCopyright.com(TM) portal (https://www.officialsoftware.com/ascap) that can be accessed from the ASCAP web site (http://www.ascap.com/benefits/retail.html#officialcopyright).

Official Software's online and software products reduce filing time, dramatically simplify the filing process, and provide full strength protection under U.S. Copyright law. An easy step-by-step interview simplifies decisions, like how to file a published or unpublished work, a derivative work, a collection of works and how to protect the recorded performance which is separate from the underlying work. More than music, copyright filing protects graphics, web site content, music videos and multimedia or other performances. Even band names can be registered with Official Software's OfficialTrademark(TM) product. Official's products also provide powerful online and software tools to manage and track registrations for the life of the work.

Official's online technology and filing services provide additional value for those registering works for which the Copyright Office is currently accepting electronic renditions. These streamlined services can drastically reduce the delays that often accompany conventional filing methods.

Filing a copyright is essential for creators and owners of intellectual property because it establishes a public record of a claim to ownership at the U.S. Library of Congress. Currently, U.S. Copyright protection lasts the author's lifetime plus 70 years. A registration is also a prerequisite to bringing any formal legal enforcement.

The new co-marketing agreement provides ASCAP members with an exclusive introductory discount of 50% on all on-line forms now through March 15, 2002. After March 1 ASCAP Members will enjoy an ongoing 20% discount on all Official Software copyright filing services, including the award-winning CD-ROM software.

Commenting on ASCAP's alliance with Official Software(TM), Amenita said, "OfficialCopyright(TM) online and software resources are excellent products that will serve a vital need of our members. They'd rather be creating new songs and compositions than struggling with paperwork. And since so many of our ASCAP members are quite sophisticated with computers, the OfficialCopyright(TM) products and services should be popular with them, particularly in light of the exclusive ASCAP members discount."

Official Software(TM) Co-founder and CEO Paula Kouletsis said, "This is a natural partnership, one that is certain to benefit the members of ASCAP, and ultimately the music-loving public -- because it will free composers and songwriters to actually work on their music. We are delighted to bring our unique products to the prestigious and prolific members of ASCAP."

Established in 1914, ASCAP is the world's largest performing right organization with over 130,000 composer, lyricist and music publisher members. ASCAP is committed to protecting the rights of its members by licensing and collecting royalties for the public performance of their copyrighted works, and then distributing these fees to the Society's members based on performances. ASCAP's repertory spans the entire spectrum of music - from pop to symphonic, rock to gospel, Latin to country, to jazz, rhythm and blues, theater, film and television music. ASCAP's Board of Directors is made up solely of writers and publishers elected by the membership.

Official Software, LLC, a Boston-based company founded in 1997, has set the industry standard in intellectual property automation through innovative in software, on-line and management tools. Official is changing the way copyrights and trademarks are filed, tracked and managed through a full range of low-cost self-filing products and online technologies. Official; products and online management tools and resources meet the protection need of individual creators - from musicians, writers, filmmakers, software developers and photographers - to professional and volume filers, including law firms, publishers and Internet businesses.