COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND, April 8, 2002 -- The American Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the American Chemical Society jointly announced today that they have received $250,000 in settlement of their potential civil claims against a Los Angeles-based journal subscription service, Eastwood Books, and its manager, Ms. Jung Shin.

Each of the non-profit scientific societies that participated in the joint settlement publishes scientific journals sold at institutional subscription rates to companies, libraries and universities. In order to make these journals more widely available to individual scientists and researchers, these societies also offer their members individual subscriptions at significant discounts from institutional rates. The societies received information alleging that Eastwood Books and Ms. Shin were filing false society membership applications in order to obtain multiple subscriptions of the scientific journals at individual membership rates. They also were alleged to have filed overlapping false claims for "missing" issues in order to assemble additional full sets of certain journals. Eastwood Books and Ms. Shin then allegedly sold the journals they received to institutions overseas at institutional rates that may have been over ten times the individual membership rates that the societies received for the subscriptions.

Without admitting liability, Eastwood Books and Ms. Shin agreed to pay $250,000 to settle potential civil claims, and agreed not to place further membership applications on behalf of individuals or to place further subscription orders except at institutional rates. Eastwood Books and Ms. Shin also agreed to provide certain additional information requested by the societies regarding their subscription and distribution practices. The societies expect that this information will allow them to identify Eastwood's overseas institutional customers in order to ensure that they are able to obtain valid and uninterrupted subscriptions at the proper institutional rates.

"We are extremely pleased to have settled our potential civil claims against Eastwood Books and Ms. Shin for $250,000," said Dr. Marc H. Brodsky, Executive Director and CEO of the American Institute of Physics, the society that spearheaded settlement efforts. "As non-profit organizations, the money we collect from journal subscriptions goes directly back into publishing scientific journals and fostering educational programs for the benefit of our members and the public at large. We hope this settlement has put a stop to activities that ultimately would deprive our legitimate individual members, our library customers who pay full and fair rates, and the entire scientific community of the full benefit of the exchange of scientific ideas presented in our journals. We also hope that this expensive settlement will discourage others from considering similar tactics, which we now will keep watch for and vigorously pursue."

For further information contact: Alicia Torres, (301) 209-3093, atorres@aip.org