RIAA Amnesty For File Sharers?

[Kooperman]

CLEAN SLATE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Recording Industry Association of America ('RIAA') is offering amnesty from copyright enforcement to individuals residing in the United States who have, or who believe that they may have, illegally downloaded or distributed copyrighted sound recordings on peer-to-peer networks such as Kazaa, Grokster, iMesh, Morpheus, Bearshare, LimeWire, Gnutella, Blubster, OverNet, Shareaza, Gnucleus, SoulSeek, Earthstation 5 and eDonkey ('P2P Networks'). As part of this Clean Slate Program, RIAA is agreeing not to support or assist in copyright infringement suits based on past conduct against individuals who meet the conditions outlined below. Only individual persons are eligible for the Clean Slate Program; businesses, groups and other organizations or entities may not participate.

You are eligible for this Clean Slate Program if:
1. You delete or destroy all copyrighted sound recordings that you or others illegally downloaded to your computer(s) or devices (including all storage and portable devices) using a P2P Network, and all copies you have of those files in any format (including CD-R). 2. In the future you do not illegally download copyrighted sound recordings using a P2P Network, you do not allow others to illegally download copyrighted sound recordings to your computer(s), you do not make copies of any such downloaded files in any format, and you do not 'share' (that is, upload/distribute) such files on P2P Networks.
3. As of the date your Clean Slate Program Affidavit is received, you have not been sued for copyright infringement by an RIAA member company for the activities that are covered by this Clean Slate Program and RIAA has not begun to investigate you by requesting from an Internet Service Provider ('ISP'), by subpoena or otherwise, identifying information about you.
4. Any downloading or file-distribution that you engaged in was done on a noncommercial basis. Individuals who undertook these activities for commercial purposes or for payment are not eligible for this Clean Slate Program.

INSTRUCTIONS
In order to take advantage of this Clean Slate Program, please take the following steps. Note that all information sent will be used solely in connection with the Clean Slate Program and will not be used for marketing or other promotional purposes. See our Privacy Policy for further details.

1. Carefully read the Clean Slate Program Affidavit and make sure that you have taken all necessary steps to delete any copyrighted music files you or others illegally downloaded to your computer(s) or devices (including all storage and portable devices) using a P2P Network, and to destroy any copies you have of those files in any format.
2. Complete the Clean Slate Program Affidavit, except for your signature (since it must be signed in the presence of a notary public to be valid). If there is more than one person in your household who seeks to participate in the Clean Slate Program, each participant in the household must complete a separate Clean Slate Program Affidavit.
3. Take the completed, unsigned form to a notary public, together with identification (such as your driver’s license or passport), which will allow the notary to verify that you are the person whose information is listed on the form. Have the notary witness your signature. If you are under the age of 18 a parent or legal guardian also must sign the Clean Slate Program Affidavit.
4. Make a copy of the Clean Slate Program Affidavit for your own records. Send the original, signed and notarized version of the Clean Slate Program Affidavit to: Clean Slate Program Coordinator, RIAA, 1330 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20036. (For your recordkeeping purposes, you may want to consider sending your Clean Slate Program Affidavit by Federal Express, certified mail, or some other traceable delivery service.)

OUR PRIVACY POLICY
Information provided on the Clean Slate Program Affidavit will be used solely in connection with conducting and enforcing the Clean Slate Program. Information will not be used for marketing, promotional or public relations purposes. Information will not be made public or given to third parties, including individual copyright owners, except if necessary to enforce a participant’s violation of the pledges set forth in the Affidavit or otherwise required by law.

CLEAN SLATE PROGRAM AFFIDAVIT IDENTIFYING INFORMATION
Full Name:
Address of Primary Residence (United States only):
Telephone Number:
E-mail Address:
Internet Service Provider:

I, the individual whose name appears above, am executing this Clean Slate Program Affidavit in order to obtain amnesty from copyright infringement litigation supported or assisted by the Recording Industry Association of America ('RIAA') with respect to my unauthorized noncommercial downloading, copying, or 'sharing' (that is, uploading/distributing) as of this date on peer-to-peer networks such as Kazaa, Grokster, iMesh, Morpheus, Bearshare, LimeWire, Gnutella, Blubster, OverNet, Shareaza, Gnucleus, SoulSeek, Earthstation 5 and eDonkey ('P2P Networks'). I represent that I am eligible for this Clean
Slate Program and meet all the conditions herein and in the Clean Slate Program Description. I have deleted from my computer(s) and storage devices (including portable devices) all copyrighted sound recordings illegally downloaded, copied or 'shared' (that is, uploaded/distributed) using P2P Networks, and have destroyed all copies of those sound recordings I
have in any format (including CD-R). I agree from today forward to stop any and all illegal downloading, copying, or 'sharing' (that is, uploading/distributing) of files of copyrighted sound recordings on P2P Networks.

Provided that I have in fact deleted from my computer(s) and storage devices (including portable devices) all copyrighted sound recordings illegally downloaded from P2P Networks, and destroyed all copies of those sound recordings in any format, and do not engage in illegal downloading, copying or 'sharing' (that is, uploading/distributing) of copyrighted sound recordings on P2P Networks in the future, I understand that RIAA agrees not to support or assist in any copyright infringement lawsuit against me based on these past activities. I understand that if I am found in the future to have done any illegal downloading, copying or 'sharing' (that is, uploading/distributing) of copyrighted sound recordings using P2P Networks on or after today’s date or if I am found to have not met the conditions of the Clean Slate Program, RIAA may support or assist in an action for willful copyright infringement.

I acknowledge that I have signed this Clean Slate Program Affidavit voluntarily and that nothing herein prevents me from consulting with counsel of my own choosing.

Signature:
__________________________________________________ __
Signature of Parent or Guardian if Person Listed Above is Under 18:
__________________________________________________ __
STATE OF )
) SS:
COUNTY OF )
I, ______________________, a Notary Public in and for this
jurisdiction, certify that ________________________________ [name(s) of
person signing above] ________________________________ [parent or
guardian, if necessary], who is known to me to be the person signing
this Clean Slate Affidavit, personally appeared before me in this
jurisdiction.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I sign below and set my official seal on this
document on ________________, 20___.
Signature:
_______________________________________
Name printed or typed:
_______________________________________

[SUprEMeBeiNg]

rofl rofl rofl

sign me up

Mr Butts

Semore Buttz :black

[Ken17625]

Yeah, nice try.


I could have sworn i've seen this tactic used somewhere..........

[Wolfie]

Originally posted by Kooperman
http://au.news.yahoo.com/030904/11/lkfp.html

Hmmmm...you gonna go for this?

Sure thing. I'll send them my official membership photo at www.stupidisme.com.

[j72883]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...oading_music_3

[Azathoth]

(extreme sarcasm on)
SHUUUUURRRRRE! While I'm at it I'll just go ahead and send you 150,000 per song just to be on the safeside. Now where'd I leave my wallet?
(extreme sarcasm off)

Why would neone want to turn themselves in. I mean come on If they don't know about it yet why the hell would you need amnesty? Plus, they want you to send a copy of a photo ID.

(extreme sarcasm on)
Ok I'll send you my driver's licence along with a recent bill and a bank statement. Where's that wallet again?
(extreme sarcasm off)

The amnesty doesn't count if your already on the hit list. This has gotta be the most blatent scare tactic I've seen yet.

[jonnymnemonic]

I have a funny story about amnesty. When I joined the army and we got to basic training, they told us if we had any drugs or weapons or whatever, we would be allowed to go into a room alone, that contained a mailbox-type thing, and we could throw stuff into that. If later we got caught with something, then we'd be busted.

Well, I was waiting in the amnesty line, although I didn't actually have anything to turn in, but everyone had to go through the room regardless. And man, I heard loud clangs of metal on metal from people ahead of me, and I was like, jeez, wtf are they throwing in that mailbox. So when I got in the room, I reached my (skinny) arm inside to see what was in the box, and felt several pistols, piles of knives, bags of pot, pipes, a bong. It was really hilarious all the stuff that was in there. I considered taking the bag of pot, but didn't have the courage.

Didn't have anything to say about the RIAA amnestyy (other than that you're an idiot if you turn yourself in); just wanted to share my amnesty box story. ;)

[Aaron73153]

I smell a trap.

[REDO]

all ready a thread about this....

[johnsmatrix]

Here it is in case a mod wants to paste or whatever.


http://www.zeropaid.com/bbs/showthre...threadid=14358

[Jello]

No one but a good attorney could advise you to take the amnesty or not, but what is more important is, what this says about the entire battle.

By offerring to settle like this the RIAA is basically saying they give up. Settling with 1600 people is nothing compared to the entire population of p2p users.

If they are offerring settlement before the first shots are really fired, what does this say about their future? It seems they are not willing to really go forward full force with enforcing their copyrights which might signal that it's over.

This first round of lawsuits would be the testing ground for the actual campaign that was to follow but it looks like they are going soft already.

Copyrights are essentially unenforceable?

[FutureIverson]

I'd accept their offer, and go back on to sharing nothin' but a JOKE

[Kooperman]

I think that most likely they realize how much time and effort this is costing them, and the potential for backfires is great. The negative publicity has stung them already, before the first of the subpoena lawsuits have even been enacted.

[Wolfie]

Not to mention trial and lawyer expenses for each of the lawsuits. They will try settle as many cases out of court as possible.

As for the p2p side not everyone will fight like the Jane-Doe person from NY, so they will probably get some takers.

[Pebbles100]

destroy all copies (including CD-Rs) ?? Yeah, right! I've gotta think of a good hiding place for them... :)