RIAA Ditches Meaningless Amnesty Program

from the a-waste-of-time dept

Last fall, before the RIAA actually started suing people for sharing unauthorized music files, they offered their amnesty program, which basically said if you 'fessed up to sharing music and removed those files immediately, they probably wouldn't sue you. Of course, they couldn't guarantee that the actual copyright holders wouldn't sue - and in admitting guilt to the RIAA some felt that people would actually open themselves up to more liability for exactly that reason. In fact, even a US Senator, Norm Coleman, told people not to fall for the program and some people filed a lawsuit against the program, saying that it was deceptive. Well, now the RIAA (as they've been known to do) has asked that the lawsuit be dismissed because they've recently canceled the amnesty program. Of course, that makes you wonder. Is it okay to offer a "deceptive" program for a few months, and then ask that lawsuits against it are dropped once you stop? Doesn't that just encourage more temporary deceptive programs? The article also notes, by the way, that over 1,100 people actually signed up to request such not-really-amnesty. The RIAA promises that they'll continue to not sue those individuals, though, they still can't make the same promise for the actual copyright holders.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Well ..., 19 Apr 2004 @ 8:25pm

    No Subject Given

    This is why I don't download music on computers that can be traced to me. I don't even own a computer! Ha!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 20 Apr 2004 @ 2:44am

    Re: No Subject Given

    you think that not owning a computer will stop the RIAA from suing you? Think again...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Matt, 20 Apr 2004 @ 6:09am

    No Subject Given

    are the riaa allowed to pass that info on to the copyright holders though? I'm not sure too many people would tick the box marked "we would like to share this data with our partners who might sue you"

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    BtG, 20 Apr 2004 @ 8:42am

    Re: No Subject Given

    Problem is, it's opt out, not opt in, and since it was already printed ont he paper...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    NOBODY, 20 Apr 2004 @ 9:10am

    Re: No Subject Given

    This is why I don't download music on computers that can be traced to me. I don't even own a computer! Ha!



    It's not downloading that's the problem. It's uploading. If someone's committing copyright infringement by sharing their files with you, it's their fault, and their responsibility. Not yours. The RIAA and others can say they're going after downloaders all they want, but if you're not sharing files, they can't even see you.

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.