The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) is looking for 10,000 people to sign a petition aimed at helping to stop the RIAA's rampage by making sure EFF staff are included in any upcoming hearings on, "the proper scope of copyright enforcement in the digital age".

As of 6:00 am Pacific Time, 3567 people had signed.

Take a Stand Against the Madness; Stop the RIAA!, says the EFF here, going on:

"The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is on a rampage, launching legal attacks against average Americans from coast to coast. Rather than working to create a rational, legal means by which its customers can take advantage of file-sharing technology and pay a fair price for the music they love, it has chosen to sue people like Brianna LaHara, a 12 year-old girl living in New York City public housing.

"Brianna, and hundreds of other music fans like her, are being forced to pay thousands of dollars they do not have to settle RIAA-member lawsuits -- supporting a business model that is anything but rational. This crusade is generating thousands of subpoenas and hundreds of lawsuits, but not a single penny for the artists that the RIAA claims to protect.

"Copyright law shouldn't make criminals out of 60 million Americans, and it's time for a change. Congress is going to hold hearings; we need your help to make sure that the public's voice is heard. Tell Congress that it's time to stop the madness!"

The petition reads:

To The United States Congress:

We are the customers and former customers of the member labels of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). We love music and will gladly pay a fair price for it, but we are outraged by the RIAA's tactics in suing ordinary Americans for filesharing.

We condemn the RIAA's choice to force the family of a 12 year-old girl to forfeit $2,000 - money that could have gone to feed, clothe and educate this honor student. We stand with the retirees, parents, children and others who have been caught in the RIAA's line of fire.

We respect reasonable copyright law, but we strongly oppose copyright enforcement that comes at the expense of privacy, due process and fair application of the law.

We urge you, as our representatives in Congress, to stop this madness.

We oppose the recording industry's decision to attack the public, bankrupt its customers and offer false amnesty to those who would impugn themselves. We call instead for a real amnesty: the development of a legal alternative that preserves file-sharing technology while ensuring that artists are fairly compensated.

In signing this petition, we formally request that the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), as representatives of the public interest, be included in any upcoming hearings regarding the proper scope of copyright enforcement in the digital age.

We sincerely thank you for your time.

I've signed so many petitions now, I feel like Elvis giving autographs at Viva Las Vegas premiere. Anyway, anyone that hasn't PLEASE do this!

Also, sadly, country song legend, Johnny Cash, the man in black, has passed on. He was a great talent, and will be missed. John Ritter, son of country music star, Tex Ritter, also passed away, he was 54, and will also be missed.
(moment of silence for all who have died on September 11)
___________________________________!
~code

I knew Johnny wouldn't be long after June Carter passed on. This is indeed a sad day (2 in a row). Especially after his monumental Man Comes Around LP. In the liner notes, you could tell the love and fondness he had for his wife and I remarked to my children just a few days ago I didn't think he'd wait long to join her. I'm gonna put on A Boy Named Sue (for more than one reason) and go sign for EFF.

This is a very important petition....yes I will also sign.
"Ring of Fire" was my introduction to Johnny Cash back in my Navy days 1967. Never liked country music until I heard him! I guess June Carter, his wife passing on a few months ago really took him down. Many prayers to both families

Copy right laws.......can they be changed? I was thinking, If someone had a copy of a famous painting and shared it on the internet, I would'nt pay for it. So why would I pay for an old George Gerswhin tune that has been copied several times by different artist?

Why does an outfit like the music industry get to keep making money off it over and over? Thats why I think time limits to copy right laws are very important with music. Would it be unreasonable to put lets say 10 years. How much money is enough?

Any thoughts?

i'm in. #3833 keep the numbers going strong for our cause. stand up and fight for your digital freedom rights

god bless johnny cash and john ritter. they will be in my prayers and they left some good impressions in our lives that will go on in our lifetime and decadees to come.

Signed last night. I am passing it along to friends too.

Hmm, I'm British, living in the UK, so technically I can't sign this petition.
>> Is my thinking correct?

Regardless of this petition, I've signed a few others I've come across.

I'm just a 33 yr old single parent, working for under $6 an hour in a small town......the RIAA can go to hell. We no longer buy RIAA music, listen to RIAA music, or download RIAA music.......I signed the petition, and then sent it to eveyone I knew, asking them to pass it along as well. Also, I want to thank all of you, for this website, and introducing us to indie music. Just remember, David took Goliath down too.....

Also posted it at all the forums and corkboards I know. It's not alot, but I hope I can contribute something worthy.

4370... keep the sigs coming...

ith your help, we now have 4399 signatures (click here if you wish to see the list of signatures so far). Once we reach 10,000, we'll hand-deliver this petition to Congress. This is a grassroots campaign, so please tell your friends, family and coworkers why standing up to the RIAA matters to you.

another one signed
you must speak up or you will be run over.

eve

Sign, americans, SIGN!!!

the only way to stop this from happening around the globe is for you guys to seriously and severly kick the RIAA where it counts

(4712)

#4866 and counting...

4867

I signed last night (somewhere in the low 1400's) and I'm glad to see how much it's grown since then. Everyone stand up against this madness!

"If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately."

5217

#5404 and counting...

~goingnova

up to 6255 now

Ican't believe how htis thing's growing...nearly 7400 so far.

Fight the good fight...

Almost 9100..entering the homestretch!

14113

we passed our goal and then some.

As of 9:30am EST, the EFF petition is up to 14,767 names and just keeps on piling up. I have a feeling they're going to get more than three times the number of sigs they were looking for. As far as I'm concerned, the more the better.

Just think of all of those customers the RIAA's pissed off. If I were them, I think I'd be shivering in my boots by now....

14885

The eff is on our side, but I would like to see that a representative sample of independent musicians are included in any upcomming congress/senate hearings and debates. Anyone got ideas on how to accomplish this goal? Another petition maybe?

Shmoo, of Electric Gypsy
Support Local and Independent Musicians!

any one have a link to it?

Sheesh they way past their goal I was number 16299 to sign.

I was #1812, like less than 2 days ago... now they're up to 16412 people... that kicks butt for us and kicks the butt of the RIAA (bad pun). I still think its funny how they try to tell the media that they have lots of support. Well, even if they did have support, they have lost all but that from uneducated people. But, thanks to them suing 12 year olds, college students that were out of the country, and 70-something grandparents, people are getting educated everyday...

16675 and growing...unbelievable!

I had taken all my "illegal" stuff off my p2p, and started DLing some more Stones. Then I thought, "wtf. I've got nothing to lose." So all 1720 files are back up. Maybe it'll give me the chance to face down Cary and his cowardly band of flunkies. No time to back down now.

Just sent the link to "Fox And Friends" at Fox News Channel. I watch their morning show pretty much every day. Let's see how fair and balanced they really are or if they just blow it off like every other mainstream media house.

If you want to download files with little risk of lawsuit, simply move files out of your shared folder immediately after download. Files will always be available worldwide anyway, we don't have to get them from servers in the U.S.! There's no need for guilt over lack of sharing in this situation. The RIAA is targeting Americans, now we will target the RIAA. Downloading will continue forever, and cd sales will continue to plummet. RIAA, be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it.

18,431 now and counting!

Alien, Fox News hates America. They hate me, they hate you, they have contempt for all human life. They make Goerbels look like an amateur. They are Wolfowitz and company's sickle of apocalypse.

Fox News is owned and operated by baby killers.

Fox News is a vortex that will suck all life from the universe.

I don't like Fox News much.

#18,690

paulruss, I tend to agree with you. It's a sad commentary that that is the best mainstream news outlet I can find. CNN, MSNBC, all networks, etc make me violently ill. At least I usually don't blow chunks when I watch FNC, that is until they start spewing the same "music pirate" line when they ever deign to broach the subject. At least Cavuto routinely covers Victoria's Secret.

Its over 20,000 now.

The RIAA has no one to blame but themselves. They were greedy, and people had a financial incentive to replace them. Now that the RIAA doesn't like it, they are going schitzoid by suing anyone they can. They are obsolete. RIAA, you too will assimilated.

Just wait the news storys will pile up as soon as The RIAA does some more and goes down just like another big scandal, news media loves a juicy story and they don't have one yet but soon, but soon

whats the deal with the mediareform petition? i've noticed that the eff petition has far exceeded the required signatures but the media petition hasn't gotten more than 300 sigs in 2 days?

Signed! Forwarding link to everyone I know and asking them to do the same

The mediareform petition is done in cooperation with moveon.org. The sister petition on moveon has recieved well over 340k signatures. So it's covered. mediaform.net is not as widely known as moveon, which has millions of members.

The 340k signatures on their version of the petition were signed in three days. Keep plugging on the mediareform one.

Personally, I signed both. One under my name and the other under my fiance's name.