With their plan to file lawsuits early next week against hundreds of peer-to-peer file swappers, the Recording Industry Association of America is waving one carrot in hand with the stick: they're offering an amnesty program they'll unwrap in the same week, Reuters reported at midday September 5.
The program details aren't known in full, but Reuters cited "a source close to the matter" as reporting that it will allow P2Pers to sign notarized affidavits in which they promise to stop using Kazaa, Grokster, Morpheus, and other P2P swap programs to download free copyrighted music and delete all such songs they already acquired through those programs.
The RIAA began a program of subpoenaing suspected P2Pers earlier this year, a program under fire in the media and from at least one Capitol Hill lawmaker – Sen. Norman Coleman (R-Minnesota), a former Napster user who has promised hearings on the subpoena program – and the "source close to the matter" told Reuters those who have been subpoenaed will not be eligible for the amnesty program.
Gigi Sohn, a copyright expert with advocacy group Public Knowledge, told Reuters the amnesty program was still a good idea, even though she said participants shouldn't be forced to give up all forms of song copying. "This is a heck of a lot better than just going out and suing the daylights out of people," she said of the amnesty program. "My concern is that people may give up rights they may have, such as the right to limited sharing."
