Support A2IM Online Piracy Legislation!

A Note from the American Association of Independent Music:



"Call To Action: Indies Be Heard - Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act



This week a bipartisan group of Senators introduced legislation that would give the Justice Department an expedited process for cracking down on rogue websites that are dedicated to making unauthorized copies of music available including the many foreign sites that have to date been outside our reach. The Justice Department would target the most egregious pirate websites, go to a federal court with the evidence, and then seize the domain name. Once a site has been seized, the Court would issue an order to intermediaries -- such as ISPs, payment processors, Internet registries and registrars, advertisers, etc. -- prohibiting them from doing business with such rogue sites.



Please click HERE to send an e-mail to your Senators and Representative and ask that they support this unprecedented legislation. It's quick and easy - just enter your home address and click "send."





We're asking that you participate but that you also please forward this to everyone you work with, to your friends, artists, producers...we all need to seize this opportunity to be heard and support this legislation. Post it on your website, your Facebook and Myspace page, Tweet it...let's be heard.



CNET called this bill, "one of the most ambitious attempts yet from the U.S. government to fight online piracy" and observed that "if the bill passes, it could mark the most significant antipiracy victory for the film and music industries in quite a while."



So frequently, A2IM hears from members - middle class independent businesses from across our nation - asking how to combat this damaging distribution of their music. Too often when the infringing site is based outside of the U.S. there is next to nothing that can be done. This legislation would help address this problem.



You can be sure that the vocal support of our community - independent business people trying to make a living while protecting and creating jobs - is crucial to this effort. While A2IM's independent music label members are actively evolving our business models embracing technology and maximizing the opportunities the Internet provides to market our artists, we also know there are sites that solely seek to drive the value of music to zero. We need the support of our government and stronger laws to prevent that from happening. Given the state of the manufacturing and service industries in the U.S. it has never been more important that our government supports and protects the creators of intellectual property and those that invest in that creation.



Thank you for your support.



A2IM
www.a2im.org