As a leading host and participant of the CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers) Copyright Summit in Washington, DC, June 9 and 10, 2009, ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) will play an important role in the Summit's educational panels, presentations and discussions to reinforce and strengthen the value of copyright. The ASCAP team will include newly elected ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams, past ASCAP President and Chairman Hal David, ASCAP Symphonic & Concert Board Member Stephen Paulus and ASCAP Chief Executive Officer John LoFrumento.

This event takes place on the heels of ASCAP's May visit to Washington, DC, when its Board of Directors, senior staff and members walked the halls of Congress to discuss fair compensation for songwriters and composers. ASCAP is America's first and leading performing rights organization, representing the 8.5 million musical works of its more than 350,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members.

The CISAC Copyright Summit will bring together over 500 intellectual property rights leaders from every corner of the globe to meet with legislators, creators and administrators along with those that have differing views on the value and protection of copyright. ASCAP anticipates that this gathering will do much to help further educate all Summit participants on the importance of copyright and how, in many ways, the U.S. lags behind other nations in fairly compensating songwriters and composers.

According to ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento, "The last time CISAC met in Washington, the phrase 'Information Superhighway' was on everyone's lips and the Internet represented a new and exciting medium for music use. Fifteen years later, countless commercial enterprises have leveraged the promise of new digital technologies to provide a valuable platform for songwriters and composers around the world. However, like all new media platforms introduced during ASCAP's 95 year history, we face significant challenges in generating fair compensation via the Internet and mobile platforms. We see the Summit as an important extension of our multi-faceted campaign using the courts, legislation and education to assure that American songwriters and composers receive fair compensation for their creative efforts."

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