Statesman Journal
August 6, 2004
More than 67,000 music compact discs have been shipped to Oregon public schools and libraries as part of a national antitrust settlement between state law enforcement and music distributors and retailers of music compact discs, Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers said.
The CDs, which will go to about 300 Oregon libraries and schools, are valued at more than $900,000.
The settlement, which was approved in 2003, resolved allegations of antitrust violations related to the retail pricing of prerecorded CDs, cassettes and vinyl albums.
It resulted in the defendants making cash payments totaling more than $67 million and providing more than $75 million worth of CDs nationally.
More than 40,000 Oregonians made valid claims and received checks for $13.86.
Now, schools and libraries are getting their shares of the settlement.
The recipients must use the CDs to further music-related programs or for other educational purposes. With limited exceptions, the CDs may not be sold, traded or given away as prizes.
For information about the settlement, go to www.musiccdsettlement.com
— Michael Rose