Los Angeles Times, Business Section (March 17, 1999) – Many of the items sold online, such as music and software, will require merchants to pay license or royalty fees. Two executives with off-line experience in royalty tracking said last week that they are turning their attention to the World Wide Web with the launch of Royalty Review Council. The Los Angeles start-up aims to collect data about online sales of items ranging from software to videos in order to help copyright and trademark holders collect the royalties due them. The firm co-founded by Keith Bernstein, PolyGram/A&M Records’ former royalty cop – is the first to attempt the daunting task of auditing online sales. But Bernstein said their software program can be integrated with other e-commerce programs to prevent online merchants from underreporting sales in order to reduce royalty payments.
– Karen Kaplan, technology reporter
Copyright © 1999 Los Angeles Times