The RIAA announced in June that it would be turning its
attention to individual pirates, not just the file-sharing networks
which facilitate file swapping. Since then it has served numerous
subpoenas under the controversial US Digital Millennium Copyright
Act (DMCA), ordering ISPs to identify targeted individuals.
The RIAA has been heavily criticised for this aggressive
approach to individual file swappers, and the amnesty is seen as an
attempt by the association to woo back alienated customers.
The RIAA has made no official comment on the rumours of an
amnesty, but there are widespread reports that the announcement
will be made next week. According to Associated Press the amnesty
will take the form of a notarised amnesty form to be completed by
the P2P user.
The form requires that the user will admit to having illegally
shared copyrighted music over the internet and will promise to
delete the downloaded songs from their computers, CD-Rs or other
storage facilities. The user will also promise not to download
copyrighted songs again. In return the RIAA will promise not to sue
the user.
The amnesty will not apply to those individuals already
identified by subpoena.
