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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Music industry
paying up in
antitrust deal
A total of 15,508 Hawaii residents have begun receiving refund checks of $13.86 each as part of a settlement of antitrust lawsuits brought by the attorneys general of 43 states against major music distributors and retailers.In addition, 26,531 music compact discs of all varieties will be distributed to the Hawaii State Public Library System, according to Michael Meaney, deputy state attorney general who handled the case for Hawaii.
The defendants allegedly conspired to illegally raise the prices of music CDs (as well as music cassettes and vinyl albums) by setting "minimum advertised price" policies that violated state and federal laws.
The defendants all denied any wrongdoing, but in a settlement announced last year, agreed to pay a total of $67,375,000 in cash, as well as provide $75,700,000 worth of prerecorded music CDs to nonprofit and public groups.
The checks were sent to 3,480,762 consumers who purchased the CDs between Jan. 1, 1995 and Dec. 22, 2000, AND who filed claims by the deadline date of March 3, 2003. The checks were mailed beginning Friday.
The amount of the refund was determined by the number of people who filed a claim, but would not have exceeded $20 per claim. If the number of claims would have resulted in refunds of less than $5 each, then no individual would have been paid and the cash would have been distributed to nonprofit and public groups.
The distributor defendants were Capitol Records, Inc. (doing business as EMI Music Distribution, Virgin Records America Inc., and Priority Records LLC); Time Warner Inc. (also Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corp., WEA Inc., Warner Music Group Inc., Warner Bros. Records Inc.), Atlantic Recording Corp. (also Elektra Entertainment Group Inc., and Rhino Entertainment Co.); Universal Music & Video Distribution Corp. (also Universal Music Group Inc., and UMG Recordings Inc.); Bertelsmann Music Group Inc. (also BMG Music); and Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
The retailer defendants were: MTS Inc. (doing business as Tower Records), Musicland Stores Corp., and Trans World Entertainment Corp.
Question: What is the process for renewing a driver's license for out-of-state residents? I'm a military spouse stationed in Memphis, Tenn., but Hawaii is my permanent residence.
Answer: Send a letter requesting renewal by mail to: Driver License Branch, P.O. Box 30340, Honolulu, HI, 96820-0340.
Include your name, Social Security number, date of birth, reason why you are requesting renewal by mail, and, if possible, a copy of the driver's license that will expire, said Dennis Kamimura, city motor vehicle and licensing administrator.
Sign the letter with a signature similar to the one on your present license.
After receiving the information, the Driver License Section will send the appropriate forms and instructions. Once you return the forms with payment of fees, you will be sent a driver's license that's "Valid Without A Photo," so you are advised to keep your expired license in case you need a picture ID, Kamimura said.
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Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
E-mail to kokualine@starbulletin.com
