OK, I've decide that I will respond to the letter. I don't really care what they read here, so here is my draft so far, short and sweet. I am going to fax it over to them Monday morning, so put your 2 cents in this weekend and I'll consider it before I send it off. Here it is:

Friday, October 15, 1999

Charles J. Sanders
NMPA, Inc.
711 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Dear Mr. Sanders:

This is in response to your letter on October 4, 1999.

Mudcat Café Music Foundation is a non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania in June of 1997. We publish our Web site, www.mudcat.org, in an effort to preserve and appreciate traditional music.

We have every interest in providing a "proposal for amicably resolving your members' claims" against us, however, you did not state what these claims are. We are not aware of any such violations, and have never willfully infringed on any copyright. If provided with a specific list of claims, publishers and/or copyright holders making them, documentation that substantiates your authority to act on their behalf, and specific instances of such violations on our Web site, we can accurately assess the situation and provide such a proposal. The Mudcat Café has various music licenses and permissions. If we obtain the details requested, I am sure we can resolve this matter efficiently.

Sincerely,

Max D. Spiegel
Publisher, The Mudcat Cafe