I write today because I am gravely concerned about the escalating situation between the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the over 60 million Americans who use peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing software. As a constituent, I urge you to call for Congressional hearings on how to compensate artists without breaking the Internet or turning millions of American citizens into criminals.

The current state of affairs is unacceptable and it appears to be getting worse. Recently, the RIAA declared war on the American public by announcing a plan to violate the privacy of hundreds of P2P users and then use the information to sue each of them for thousands of dollars. Senator Orrin Hatch has publicly voiced support for technology that could destroy a P2P user's computer in order to "educate" her about copyright. The RIAA continues to sue students, technology companies, venture capitalists, and anyone else who dares to support file-sharing technology. It is also continuing its efforts to use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to violate the privacy of thousands of Americans by issuing identity-seeking subpoenas. It is time to take a stand, and I am relying on you to take the lead on protecting my rights and the rights of the thousands of other constituents who are just like me.

We need to start looking for solutions to the real problem: getting artists paid. Neither the RIAA's litigation nor vigilante legislation will put a single penny into the pocket of an artist or songwriter. As Congress has done in the past when new technologies emerged to challenge old media companies, I urge you to call for hearings on P2P. The public deserves to hear about the merits of alternative payment models, compulsory licensing, and the benefits of file-sharing. This is a conversation that must take place in Congress, not the courts.

I support compensation for artists and songwriters, and I also believe that the law should reflect the norms of society. Copyright is currently out of step with the American public and it is time to take a hard look at how we might fix it. I hope that you will help start this dialogue by calling for public hearings on P2P. I also urge you to work with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and other public interest groups to ensure that all sides in this debate are heard. Thank you for your time.

---

Copy and paste the above letter into the mail, fax, and emails you send. Use the box below, and when you get ready to send it check the box that allows it to be posted to Letters to Leaders on the Congress.org website..

remember you can send bush an email there while your at it

Alright! sounds great! Happy writing everyone!

Tip of the hat,
Captain C

and check it you can even make it stay there for a while

https://ssl.capwiz.com/congressorg/issuesaction/lettersearch/

not saying who i am by the by.....

Doesn't that kind of cheapen the whole process, if we all send the same letter?

Well, I just sent off my letters to two senators and a congressman. Only cost $9.95 to have them hand-delivered by Westen Union. Personally, I think it's worth it.

Also, I wrote about 15 news stations/websites about the issue. I hope everyone else is doing their part. We can make a difference on this, I assure you.

I think we can stand behind everyword spoken!!

this is not a routine letter to our congressperson, but a state of emergency!

right on hermit

the mysterious seraphielx...an engima wrapped in a puzzle...
Remember.
"Reason,which is the adversary of all tyrants, teaches us that truth can be as little restrained as light."
-town magistrates in 16th century Holland
"Check yourself before you wreck yourself" "Ali G" -Da Ali G show

great letter..i'd use it if I hadn't already done my letter and sent it to the politicos...
~code

Also...when the Dutch wrote to the King of Spain in 1581, they said this:
"As it is apparent to all that a prince is constituted by God to be the ruler of the people... and whereas God did not create the people slaves to their prince, to obey his commands, whether right or wrong, but rather the prince for the sake of the subjects... And when he does not behave thus, but on the contrary oppresses them... they may not only disallow his authority, but legally proceed to the choice of another prince for their defence..."
They were not slaves to the prince, and we are not slaves to the government or courts. Supposedly, the government and courts and music companies are there to serve our needs, not the way round. We are the employers of all these entities...they get their money to do evil to us...FROM US! I hope I am not belabouring this point...it's not so much for the OGs on this board, but for the newbies who are still learning the philosophical basis of this movement.

hey cw join the chat

aim:GoChat?RoomName=boycott%20riaa

jreynoldsacr (3:10:12 PM): the mysterious seraphielx...an engima wrapped in a puzzle...Remember."Reason,which is the adversary of all tyrants, teaches us that truth can be as little restrained as light."
jreynoldsacr (3:10:20 PM): hahah code is funny
R0dR0ddy (3:10:29 PM): code is a freakin stud
R0dR0ddy (3:10:36 PM): anybody know what he does for a living?
jreynoldsacr (3:10:56 PM): not a clue but im gonna try and get his ass in here

seraph-wish i could...have to go do that sh*t that life makes us do...like get a new phone and crap like that...
damn...life intervenes when had rather be chillin' :0)
notice how CNN is ignoring us?
love,peace, and gung ho (working together in harmony)
~code...

Who has time for chat rooms? This is a time for action! Write your congressmen and senators! Write to the media! Demonstrate! Boycott!

oh , as far as past occupations...have taught Chinese martial arts, been freelance writer , done tech support, written books, and now...
staying busy with more scholarly efforts

IFeelFree...done and done..did it yesterday!
~code

kool code its gonna be open all week end so we will see ya there

ifeelfree

that what the chatroom is for and to get updates on what is going on where.

the chat room is to unite everyone and get new ideas and information on whao all to email,who to call,and everything else

CNN, FOX, MSNBC, & CBS are all own by someone connected to the RIAA. So none of them are going to show anything on this. If they do it will be against P2P. In my area nothing at all.

seraphielx, good point, sorry.

gilbd, I disagree. If there's enough protest they have to report it. They may try to slant it toward the RIAA but what else can we do? We have to make our views known.

Actually, I heard back from a reporter at Wired and they wanted more information about the protests and boycott. I told them what I knew and referred them to this site.

Actually, I'm seeing more and more articles critical of the RIAA. Here's a good one at Wired News:
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59862,00.html

IFeelFree I agree with you that we have to get our word out. But They are not showing anything about it we just have to keep trying to get to them. I don't know how but we can't give up. We need more ways to get them to listen to us.

I'm glad to see that on that link that was provided by seraphielx there were many letters being sent, including one from someone only minutes from I am. I guess those Senators and Reps will definately have to pay attention! Great going everyone, here's hoping the rest of today and tomorrow are successful in flooding the pols with information they need be made aware of!

w00t were upto 5 in the chat

"CNN, FOX, MSNBC, & CBS are all own by someone connected to the RIAA. So none of them are going to show anything on this."

ah, good old censorship. makes you wonder what kind of slanted stuff we're getting, huh?

http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2003/06/10/musician_pov.html

And how about we add to that letter to Congress the facts about how the RIAA has not paid the artists their percentage from all cd-writer & black CD sales for the past few years???

http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2003/06/10/musician_pov.html

And how about we add to that letter to Congress the facts about how the RIAA has not paid the artists their percentage from all cd-writer & blank CD sales for the past few years???

the letter will go in the trash. i highly doubt any politician will read it or take it serious.

but netherthe less i sent one off. hopefully my congressmen will read it.

I suggest as IfeelFree did to send letters, emails are ok but it is a known fact that emails are read by aides and seldom get to the politician. A standard response is usual when it comes to emails and a letter is counted as a physical comment where an email is a cyberghost.

Will all this make any difference in the end? Well, if it were just a noisy bunch of file sharers then no. But it's more than that. The recording industry is being sued left and right (as well as having to defend it's own lawsuits). The record labels have been convicted of price fixing. A U.S. senator is attacking the RIAA for their subpoena-happy behaviour. Public sentiment is turning against them. We're just one more voice. It's the combined effect of all these attacks that will bring this issue to a head. However, in the end, the copyright laws have to be revised, especially the DMCA. Those laws are what gives the RIAA the power to do what they are doing.

In the past when I have e-mailed my congresspersons on other issues, I get snail mail on fancy government paper, just stating their position, thanking me for writing, and inviting me to write anytime.
Only one of the three people who are supposed to represent my interests actually vote as I would want them to. The other two vote just about all the time in direct opposition to the way I feel, and to the way I express my thoughts to them.
In the past, I was responsible for organizing a grassroots effort to neutralize some bills in the House and Senate of a repressive nature. At the time, I dealt with people like Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy. I talked with an aide, and was told that at the time, they gauged how much support there was back in the district for your side of things, by multiplying each handwritten letter by 50, with the assumption that for every person who wrote, there are about 50 who feel that way and would vote that way, but are too lazy to write. The aides are usually the ones who do the grunt work of reading email and snail mail. Unless the mail has a hefty "donation" in it, or unless there is an avalanche of mail, it is usually dismissed if it is in opposition to the platform of the politician.

From my experiences, there is something you must understand about the politicos. No matter who corrupt and self motivated you think they are, you have underestimated them. What I found out was they are all about is personal power. These guys and gals in Congress meet with each other in back rooms, and cut deals. It's about this kinda thing...I'll vote for your bill if you vote for mine. I mean, the ones that are Repubs are usually expected to vote the Repub line on things, but they occasionlly deviate if they cut a personal deal to get something more important for their personal goals and agenda. It's like a big poker game in some ways. You hide your cards, and try to wheel and deal to get a better hand. Money talks, and bullsh!t walks.
Money buys access. And, hiring one of the "good old boys" as a "consultant" or an employee (gee..wonder why they hired Itchy Bunghole, a former repub under Frist for the RIAA) also gets access...it's all about access and influence. Congress people in general are loyal to themselves and their agenda. Usually, their agenda involves staying elected so they can continue getting their perks.
Now, how does this apply to our current situation? As has become clear, the major media is trying its best to turn our protest into a "non-story" and would prefer to focus on the story of a woman who allegedly called some people pretending to be their lost daughter. While this is a story full of pathos, it is not affecting thousands or millions of people. And, according to CNN, this is another "top story"..."Record hailstone reported in Nebraska storm"
Wow, a record hailstone, let's get the blank VHS tape and capture that one for posterity! Or, in the tech sector..
"McDonald's new high-tech burger flipper". Now that's breaking news,right? National/international protests about something clogging up the courts in washington, and criminal activity by giant media networks..why mention that?
Can they ignore us forever? No, but since they have received lots of e-mail and faxes about this issue, and are intentionally NOT reporting it, that is management of the news bordering on censorship. If we get ONE of the top networks to report on it, the others will feel pressure from this, to also say something (even if to skew it in favor of the RIAA). Not any of the major news websites are mentioning the boycott or protests.

When people ignore you, you just have to make sure that you keep at it until they cannot ignore you any longer.
~code

Another question is: To what extent will these issues be resolved by congress or by the courts? For example, I could imagine the privacy issues raised by the RIAA lawsuits ultimately having to be decided by the supreme court. (Ugh! Those old farts probably wouldn't know a computer from a toaster.) Or will congress step in and hold hearings?

Our problem is that we have no influence and power aside from our ability to speak out and to vote. One small glimmer of hope is this Senator who has recently attacked the RIAA. He has admitted that his kids have downloaded files and that he used to do it in the Napster days. Perhaps there are other congresspersons whose kids or grandkids use P2P and can help make our case. Ultimately, the copyright laws have to change.

Finally, as CodeWarrior points out, it is obvious the media is of limited help. I checked CNN today to see if there was any mention of the RIAA lawsuits, protest, etc. and I was appalled at how irrelavent and even trivial much of the news was. "McDonald's new high-tech burger flipper" and "Trade a little privacy for a hot date" are typical. When government or large corporations control the news and use it to manipulate or distract us, we're in trouble. People have to demand more. They have to turn off the TV news, use alternative news websites, speak out, vote. I believe things will change, but how long will it take and how many people will be hurt?

wlfhcommishjava..if your letter does go in the trash, what comment does that make about the gov we have now?

IFeelFree , I agree with you. One thing that is gonna be funny, with file swapping down and all the lawsuits, when they examine the sales in August, and see how they bottomed out...how are they gonna explain it since the boycott didn't make the news.
It's gonna be a mystery for them, and that might make a blip on the media controlled "news". But really, what can you expect from papers and tv, that despite people getting laid off more and more daily, in spite of people not even looking for work anymore (and thus causing the drop in unemployment, because they are no longer counted), and companies going out of business right and left, that the papers say the economy is looking up and getting better all the time.
I notice on one of the online news pages, the daughters of Saddam are prominently displayed...what does that say about the news when the concerns of American citizens don't rate a line, but the daughters of a foreign deposed dictator, get center stage.
Remember...it's not Right vs. Left,
but Right vs. Wrong, and we are in the right!
~code

I don't know if it matters much, but is it better to write one's congressman/senator using their Washington address, or their home state office address?

This post on slashdot.com (/.) makes for interesting and timely reading: “Lobbyist Morgan Reed Answers Your Questions” (“questions about lobbying, undue industry influence on United States laws as they apply to the tech sector, the future of internet taxation, and more.”)

http://interviews.slashdot.org/interviews/03/08/01/1615232.shtml?tid=103&tid=123&tid=98&tid=99

But I think the main point of benefit is the advice: send emails that are short succinct define problem(s) and proposed remedie(s)/ solution(s) in bullet form.

Problem:

· Little time to read emails
· Long rambling emails

Proposed solution to achieve greater effectiveness:

· Clearly expressed thought(s)/ point(s)
· Presented (like this) in bullet form

Hope this helps.

justed

codewarrior, it says that one person doesnt matter. flooding the congress persons office of letters from hundreds of people, threating to not vote for them unless they do something will get there attention. one person cant do this alone, but all of us among many can.

i know i listen to a talk radio station, the particular host is a "clearchannel"host, i listen to hear anything on file sharing. not one fucking word. all i hear are irrelavent shit, kobe bryant, the sadaam daughters, homo high, like i give a shit about kobe, sadaam or homo high. ive scanned around talk radio shows, again no major story.

this is a big deal, thousands upon thousands are beings sued, why isn't this getting air time?

i can't take anymore, homo high, soddomy, afirmmative action, kobe, liberia, Saddam enough already.

dont i have a right to have a backup copy of the audio tapes i own? damn site easier to download a backup copy than it is to wire a tape player up to my pc!!

another point, if i hear a song from a band on radio, i dont wanna go n fork out my hard earned cash on an album that could possibly only have that one good song on, i want to hear a few more songs before i spend what i think is alot of money for a cd which could only last 40 minutes! if i download a few more tracks and like what i hear then im more likely to buy the album, otherwise im not gonna bother on the strangh onf one track, or even on the strengh of a magazine article in some cases, alot of bands i like dont get radio airplay so the only way i got to hear them is to download a track or 3!

maybe if cd's wasnt so damn expensive then there would be alot less piracy! its not like it costs that much to produce the cd's n the artist dont even get half the money made from a cd sale! all in all music labels are money grabbing whores and to be honest i cant blame ppl downloading the music!

I think the letters to congress are very important. I am still having a hard time convincing people this is really happening and could happen to them since of course the news is not covering it. Please, though, start writing your own letters. They may tend to ignore a copied letter which they may say only represents one person not millions.