The RIAA Hates You (And Us)

Revised 2007/Apr/04

As you may already be aware, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has recently begun to issue subpoenas to servers and service providers requiring them to disclose personal information about users who have illegally downloaded copyrighted material off the Internet. Essentially what this means is that the music industry is prepared to sue and has actively begun prosecuting individual downloaders like... well, maybe you. If you have been downloading any copyrighted material, there is a chance that the RIAA will sue you for monetary damages (significant ones too, shortcake).

This means that we all have to be extra careful. Specifically, we at ETS are very concerned that the activity of members who post direct links to copyrighted material and/or downloadable songs could result in a lawsuit against ETS, our members, and/or those of us who run ETS. Therefore, we maintain a tight board policy on downloading. Most likely this will not affect many of you. But all of you, please keep reading anyway. Ignorance will be no excuse when we enforce these rules.

Rules

1. Direct Links Versus Indirect Links: In the left corner... DIRECT LINKS!!! In the right corner... INDIRECT LINKS!!! There will be absolutely NO posting of direct links to any illicit downloadable material of any kind. This includes all clearly copyrighted material, such as songs available on CD and videos available on VHS, DVD, or in theaters. This also includes bootlegs, live performances, and songs from radio programs. NO DIRECT LINKS TO STUFF WHAT GOT THAT BIG C IN THE CIRCLE ON IT. YES, WE'RE TALKING TO YOU JETHRO. Indirect links, on the other hand, are permissible. This means links to content hosting services - megaupload, torrent trackers, and so forth - are OK, if the rules below are followed.

2. Asking for Illegal Stuff: There will be NO posting of any requests or offers to trade any commercial copyrighted material by any band or artist out there, ESPECIALLY Nine Inch Nails. Any posts such as the following WILL BE DELETED:

Hey, does anyone have an MP3 of Closer?
I’m looking for a DIVX rip of AATCHB.
Anybody got that new song by APC?

Any responses to these kinds of posts that indicate possession of this kind of material will also be deleted. This includes indirect links.

As a basic rule of thumb, if it’s something you can buy, or something you can watch on MTV, you may NOT discuss even the bare possibility of trading it on our board. This is more out of respect for the artists rather than out of fear of legal reprisal.

3. Bootlegs: Discussion of super-rare, and bootlegged material is permissible as long as nobody posts any direct links. So, the following is an example of a permissible conversation:

User 1: Does anybody have an mp3 of Even Deeper live from Osaka, Japan?
User 2: Yeah, I got it. PM me.

However, this is NOT okay:

User1: I’m looking for an mp3 of Supernaut.
User2: Here ya go. http://www.pleasesuemetrent.com/supernaut.mp3

Note this only applies to BOOTLEG material - not to things like AATCHB/BYIT.

4. Leaks: As the modus operandi of the music world is changing, leaked material has become an grey area amidst the other areas covered by these rules. As evidenced by Year Zero prior to its release, un-official and even potentially official releases of tracks, clips, and even the entire album is inevitable.

In light of these evolving circumstances, discussion of such leaks is permissible on the board, as are indirect links to content providers.

Penalties

Everyone who uses ETS is presumed to have read these rules. Therefore, if you violate these rules and disciplinary action is commenced against you, you cannot escape punishment by claiming that you were not aware of our rules. PERIOD.

Everyone gets one free warning. If you violate any of these rules, you will receive a warning from an admin or moderator. If you violate any of these rules again, you will be banned. This policy will be strictly enforced.

ETS assumes no liability for the activities of its members. Everyone who uses our boards is presumed to be aware of our rules, and while we will do our best to ensure that all members comply with the requirements of the law, we will assume no responsibility for any illegal actions undertaken by individual members.

ETS strives to protect the privacy of all members. We do not voluntarily release or sell member information to anyone, and would only involuntarily release private information if faced with a legally enforceable request for that information. But what this means is that if any of you violate these rules and we subsequently receive requests for information about you from music, movie, or other industry organizations, we will have no choice but to comply with those requests. In other words, if you break our rules and somebody important notices, you’re on your own. We can’t protect you.