2 Late 2 Say You’re Sorry

If you want to get all those illegally downloaded Janet Jackson tunes off your chest, so to speak, it’s officially too late to come clean.

The Recording Industry Association of America, the group that represents the major record companies, has unceremoniously abandoned its so-called “clean slate” amnesty program for pirates online.

Launched last September, Clean Slate granted amnesty from RIAA lawsuits for those who agreed to destroy any and all illegally obtained songs from their music collections - and vow not to pirate again in the future. Astoundingly, more than 1100 guilty souls actually sent in the required notarized apologies (wouldn’t you love to see those?) – despite the overwhelming likelihood that they would never ever hear from the RIAA in the first place.

The RIAA seems to think that its rash of lawsuits has been intimidating enough to keep the casual pirates at bay.