The recording industry is expected to announce as early as next week an amnesty program for people who admit they illegally share music files across the Internet, promising not to sue them in exchange for their admission and pledge to delete the songs off their computers.
The offer of amnesty will not apply to the roughly 1,600 people who already have been targets of copyright subpoenas from the Recording Industry Association of America, which has promised to file hundreds of infringement lawsuits across the country as early as next week. Sources who described the proposal Thursday spoke on condition of anonymity. A spokeswoman for the RIAA, Amy Weiss, declined to comment.
Risky agreement
The RIAA's offer would require Internet users to complete a notarized amnesty form that includes promises to delete any illegally downloaded music and not participate in illegal file-trading in the future. In exchange, the RIAA would agree not to file a potentially expensive infringement lawsuit. "I'll be curious to see how many opt for this," said Fred von Lohmann, a lawyer for the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, who has criticized the RIAA's use of copyright subpoenas. "It will be an interesting measure of how much fear the recording industry has managed to inject into the American public."
News source: CNN
The offer of amnesty will not apply to the roughly 1,600 people who already have been targets of copyright subpoenas from the Recording Industry Association of America, which has promised to file hundreds of infringement lawsuits across the country as early as next week. Sources who described the proposal Thursday spoke on condition of anonymity. A spokeswoman for the RIAA, Amy Weiss, declined to comment.
Risky agreement
The RIAA's offer would require Internet users to complete a notarized amnesty form that includes promises to delete any illegally downloaded music and not participate in illegal file-trading in the future. In exchange, the RIAA would agree not to file a potentially expensive infringement lawsuit. "I'll be curious to see how many opt for this," said Fred von Lohmann, a lawyer for the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, who has criticized the RIAA's use of copyright subpoenas. "It will be an interesting measure of how much fear the recording industry has managed to inject into the American public."
News source: CNN
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plus it's been a while since the RIAA has been hacked, what's up with that??
Oh, and I'll sign it "Mickey Mouse" or somesuch that isn't my true signature.
Um yeah...think here - filling out the form gives your name to them, and they could turn around and start monitoring you or even sue you. This may be a bait and switch type tactic to do just that. Don't be suprised if it is - the RIAA will do practically ANYTHING and even what we would consider dastardly wrong just to catch and punish File Sharers.
DON'T FILL OUT THEIR FORM. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU EXIST IF YOU KEEP LOW.
"Oh, we TOTALLY value you and your privacy and respect you a lot. If you wish to remove yourself from our generous offer list please click remove, thank you!" And of course, when you click remove and provide your e-Mail address you aren't really safe from the spammer...the spammer now knows who you are and that you are reading the messages.
In the same way, wouldn't this expose yourself to the RIAA as someone they should watch out for? After all, they need to watch and be sure you don't break your agreement. Copyright violations are surely worse when you swear on an agreement not to do it!
The RIAA and their tactics, seriously! If they are trying to be the Internet police, who is policing the police?
JUSTICE!
Ok so I am gona go delete all my mp3, sign a paper saying I am quilty, and promis never todo it again??
Well in the case that someone deciedes they dont want to get in trouble, all they have todo is not share thier mp3 over kazza/dc++ etc.. Then RIAA would never know if you have a single mp3.. Also put a firewall on your pc incase they try to hack you..
This way you can still you your mp3 and stay out of trouble too
I'm not deleting anything I have a right to hold as an MP3 on my harddrive.
...with fake details.
(Nah, they probably track IPs who go to the form.)
Knowing the good old RIAA, they're probably lying behind their teeth.
Once they get the IPs, they'll be coming down like a load of bricks.
Yeah right, that's just damn stupid.
I'm lost on this whole thing...
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