This is the temporary site for the Save Our Music web site

Save Our Music and The Digital Rights Foundation

Check out Sony BMG v. Kimberly Arellanes

The U.S. recording industry has conducted a terror campaign against many U.S. citizens (19,000 and growing) with their consumer copyright infringement lawsuits.  Their power has been virtually unopposed as they've ramrodded special interest legislation like the DMCA with the support of Congress and the President.  No one fights for the average Joe. The U.S. recording industry has conducted a terror campaign against many U.S. citizens (19,000 and growing) with their consumer copyright infringement lawsuits.  Their power has been virtually unopposed as they've ramrodded special interest legislation like the DMCA with the support of Congress and the President.  No one fights for the average Joe. The entertainment business has little hard evidence in the persecution of their fans. Other countries have seen behind the legal charade. However the U.S. court system so far has been compliant in its ignorance of how technology works and the lack of real evidence. The U.S. legal system has allowed the industry to victimize defendants multiple ways (ISP complicity and lack of notice, no warning letters, no suit dismissals for clearly innocent parties, initially sue out of state from the consumer, etc.)  Many of the defendants are unemployed, disabled, or poor.  Many of these lawsuit targets are clearly innocent - dead people, grandmothers, children, people who don't own computers, people who could not have done the alleged infringement.  Because the cases are in federal courts, each one costs tens of thousands of dollars to defend, regardless of the merits of the suit.  Consumers have no recourse, but to settle at extortionary rates of $3,000-5,000, even if they're innocent  Read more about How the RIAA Litigation Process Works.

Key Links • RIAA Scorecard - What to do and not to do if sued. • Recording Industry vs The People with attorney directory and legal commentary • EFF: RIAA vs. The People, How Not To Get Sued Don't Download This Song! Check out the excellent RIAA parody song from Weird Al Yankovic. Yes, you CAN download the song free. If you like it, buy the CD!

We're just starting up. So please bear with our initial limited online presence. We're fighting this injustice to protect the People with both a short and long-term plan.

1. Target lawsuit defense. We're raising funds to defend Kimberly Arellanes. Please read more about her family and this lawsuit in Sony BMG et al v. Kimberly Arellanes.
   
   
2. Save Our Music is the online presence for the Arellanes case. We'll solicit donations, recognize supporters, and provide lawsuit updates.
   
   
3. The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) is the umbrella for our activist efforts.  The DRF will provide a positive community where consumers, tech companies, and artists can create a future. It will support consumers and attorneys in a variety of ways - links and information resources for sued consumers and their attorneys, special programs to provide expert attorney and technical consultants, a list of artists that support our program, certified software that meets our high software and technology consumer standards, etc. We'll fund selected suits to create case law to limit RIAA extortion. Over time the DRF will expand into other areas to fight for the People.

Nettwerk Music Group in Canada received a huge amount of press when they agreed to fund a consumer lawsuit defense.  It's time to do the same in the U.S. The DRF takes it to the next level with a full suite of programs and resources.

We seek founding sponsors and volunteers to kickstart us in this great cause.

Volunteer opportunities

• Design for graphics and web
• Copywriting for web content
• PR pro for press releases
• Admin to manage the web site and updates
• Techies to create and maintain online communities and tools
• Sales to secure sponsors and artists
• Marketing to create and roll out promotion programs

Contributions

If you'd like to support the Arellanes case, you can make a check out to "Browning & Fleishman, P.C. Trust Account". Put "Arellanes Legal Defense Fund" in your check For or Note line. Mail your check to:

Arellanes Legal Defense Fund
c/o Browning & Fleishman, P.C.
701 Commerce St., Suite 510
Dallas, Texas 75202

We'll provide PayPal and other donations options later.

Corporate Sponsors

A variety of corporate sponsorship programs are available here.

Marc Freedman
For Save Our Music and The Digital Rights Foundation