September 8: The Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed 261 lawsuits against individual
internet music file sharers, meanwhile announcing an amnesty program for
people who admit they legally trade them. The amnesty program has been
titled the ‘Clean Slate Program’, which includes a person voluntarily
admitting their identity, erasing downloaded music, and then promise not
to share music on the internet again. It is estimated that the illegal
exchange of music files on the internet has resulted in 31% drop in CD
sales since mid-2000. The 261 people charged vary from Harvard professors
to grandparents, and all can receive penalties reaching into the tens
of thousands of dollars.
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