Amnesty for Music Pirates?

Chalk one up for the music folks. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has not generated an ounce of goodwill over the past few years, but that may have changed today with word that it might offer amnesty to repentant pirates. After further reflection, however, this offer is not all it's cracked up to be.

According to published reports, anonymous sources at the RIAA say it will promise not to sue any file swappers who admit wrongdoing, fill out a form stating where they acquired their music, delete all illegal files from their computers, and promise never to pirate again. But here's the catch: The offer doesn't apply to the 1,600 or so people who've already been targeted for prosecution and who will start getting hit with lawsuits as early as next week.

Presumably, these 1,600 are the biggest fish the RIAA could find, meaning most everyone else is a small fry that the group has already promised not to pursue. So, it is basically offering people that it had no intention of suing anyway to sign a form admitting guilt.

This raises some interesting questions. The RIAA is not the only group that can file copyright lawsuits; could the admissions of guilt wind up in the hands of others who will sue? Why would the RIAA offer amnesty if it thought it had a chance to win lawsuits against any remaining heavy abusers? Is the RIAA dealing from a position of strength or weakness here? The group has not yet commented officially on this issue; perhaps we'll learn more when it does.

Expect more fireworks next week when users -- some of whose names were subpoenaed from Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and other ISPs -- are actually hit with lawsuits.