It turned out not to be a big deal. They gave me a 30 day trial and approved my request the following day. The Mac Address is automatically updated as verified.

As for their plastering all over the website, I don't visit the web site. I was told about the part and reviewed a PDF that was enough for me to jump.

Taking a look at it, it is a good program and much needed. They did indeed announce it a year ago which I missed and they only recently employed it starting with the MCA-66, MCA-88 and XSource products.

All products that are part of the RCI program will be shipped from Russound in a locked state. Once they are powered up, they will only be able to display a message saying “Russound Certified Installer Required” (This is not your current Russound Credentials and must be applied for separately). The products will not operate until a Russound Certified Installer connects them to the internet and unlocks them in their account.