IMA forum on "Electronic Commerce for Content" rescheduled; March 7 event co-sponsored with the U.S. Copyright Office to focus on managing rights in Cyberspace.

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 1996--Due to the blizzard of '96, the Interactive Multimedia Association (IMA) announced today the rescheduling of its inter-industry forum on technology-based intellectual property management, "Electronic Commerce for Content." The forum, held in cooperation with the U.S. Copyright Office, will take place March 7, 1996, at the Sheraton Crystal City hotel in Arlington, VA. The conference will present industry perspectives on requirements for intellectual property management systems, emphasizing the importance of open and distributed management systems and services, including practices and plans for identifying, labeling and registering objects. The meeting is targeted towards companies involved in the delivery of high-value content over networks. Over 100 representatives from clearinghouses, licensing agents, rights societies and collectives, on-line providers, developers, library groups, other associations and government agencies are already registered to participate.

The forum will include presentations from the Association of American Publishers, the Copyright Clearance Center, the Corporation for National Research Initiatives, the Electronic Rights Management Group (IIA), IBM, the Information Infrastructure Standards Panel/ANSI, the IMA, the U.S. Copyright Office and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3), among others. It will include presentations by two new consortia funded by the European Commission (EC), COPEARMS and IMPRIMATUR. (Directorate General XV of the Commission held hearings on electronic rights management systems on January 8-9, 1996.) The forum schedule has been extended to 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. to accommodate a vendor perspectives panel. Proceedings from the forum will be published by the IMA.

"Managing access to intellectual property is a major challenge for content owners, multimedia developers and publishers, and the problem cuts across industries," said Brian Kahin, IMA General Counsel and organizer of the forum. "Content owners are anxious about releasing their intellectual property into a digital environment where it can currently be easily copied and transported around the world. Bringing together the insights of the different groups that have been working this problem will help lead to solutions that meet their needs. More secure system approaches that interoperate with each other are needed if the marketplace for electronic content is to reach its full potential."

"The Copyright Office agrees that it is absolutely essential for owners of all types of copyrightable works, that is, `content,' to focus on developing mutually compatible and centralized mechanisms for efficient, cost-effective licensing of their products," added Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights, U.S. Copyright Office. "Unless this is done, the goals of copyright protection - adequate protection for copyright owners balanced with the legitimate needs of users - will not be achieved in the emerging digital networked world."

More information on the "Electronic Commerce for Content" forum, including background and an on-line registration form, is available through the IMA Web site at http://www.ima.org/forums/ip/ip_meet.html, or by calling the IMA FAXBack System from the handset of a fax machine and requesting Document #3010. For further information, please contact Martin Gerich, IMA Government Affairs Liaison, at 410/626-1380, or send an e-mail to [e-mail]. Rooms at $138.00/night have been secured at the Sheraton Crystal City; those interested should call [phone]. Walk-in registration will not be available.

IMA Background

Organized in 1987, the IMA is the oldest, largest and most active trade association devoted to multimedia. Its mission is to promote the success of it member companies by working collaboratively to foster the growth of robust multimedia markets in ways that individual organizations cannot. IMA initiatives and activities serve to:

o bring buyers and sellers of multimedia products together,

o simplify technology for the end user, thereby assuring buyer

confidence and excitement, and

o provide information and context on legislative and market

developments affecting its member companies.

IMA member information is available from Evan Shubin, Business Development Manager, 410/626-1380, the IMA FAXBack System, 410/268-2100 (from a fax handset), via e-mail at [e-mail] or via the IMA home page on the World Wide Web, http://www.ima.org.

CONTACT: Interactive Multimedia Association

Ken Christie, 317/823-5073

Fax: [phone]

[e-mail]