San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
today launched a "Let the Music Play" campaign urging the
more than 60 million U.S. citizens who use file-sharing
software to demand changes in copyright law to get artists
paid and make file-sharing legal.
The EFF Let the Music Play campaign counters the Recording
Industry Association of America's (RIAA) announcement that
it will file thousands of lawsuits against individuals who
use file-sharing software like Kazaa, Grokster, and
Morpheus.
"Copyright law is out of step with the views of the
American public and the reality of music distribution
online," said EFF Executive Director Shari Steele. "Rather
than trying to sue people into submission, we need to find
a better alternative that gets artists paid while making
file sharing legal."
EFF's Let the Music Play campaign provides alternatives to
the RIAA's litigation barrage, details EFF's efforts to
defend peer-to-peer file sharing, and makes it easy for
individuals to write members of Congress. EFF will also
place advertisements about the "Let the Music Play" campaign in
magazines such as Spin, Blender, Computer Gaming World, and
PC Gamer.
"Today, more U.S. citizens use file-sharing software than
voted for President Bush," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney
Fred von Lohmann. "Congress needs to spend less time
listening to record industry lobbyists and more time
listening to the more than 60 million Americans who use
file-sharing software today."
According to online media analyst Big Champagne, more than
60 million Americans are using file-sharing software.
Links:
- EFF file-sharing campaign site
- EFF alert requesting Congressional hearings on file-sharing technologies
- EFF file-sharing ad
- How to not get sued for file sharing
Contact:
Shari Steele
Executive Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation
+1 415 436-9333 x103
Fred von Lohmann
Senior Intellectual Property Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
+1 415 436-9333 x123 (office)
