ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
                                                                                                               

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

Adobe, Electronic Frontier Foundation Call for Release

of Russian Programmer

For Immediate Release: July 23, 2001

Contacts for EFF:

Will Doherty, EFF Online Activist / Media Relations,
  wild@eff.org,
  +1 415-436-9333 x111
Robin Gross, EFF Staff Attorney - Intellectual Property,
  robin@eff.org,
  +1 415-436-9333 x112

Contact for Adobe:

Holly Campbell, Senior Corporate Public Relations Manager,
  campbell@adobe.com,
  +1 408-536-6401

San Jose, Calif. - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq: ADBE) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today jointly recommend the release of Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov from federal custody.

Adobe is also withdrawing its support for the criminal complaint against Dmitry Sklyarov.

"EFF praises Adobe for doing the right thing," said Shari Steele, EFF Executive Director. "We are pleased to see that Adobe has lived up to the high standard of integrity that has made the company successful. While we don't agree on every detail of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), we look forward to working together with Adobe to secure Dmitry's immediate release."

"We strongly support the DMCA and the enforcement of copyright protection of digital content," said Colleen Pouliot, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Adobe. "However, the prosecution of this individual in this particular case is not conducive to the best interests of any of the parties involved or the industry. ElcomSoft's Advanced eBook Processor software is no longer available in the United States, and from that perspective the DMCA worked. Adobe will continue to protect its copyright interests and those of its customers."

Sklyarov was arrested July 16 on a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California under the DMCA. ElcomSoft is the Moscow-based company employing Sklyarov.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe Systems Incorporated ( http://www.adobe.com ) builds award winning software solutions for Network Publishing, including Web, print, video, wireless and broadband applications. Its graphic design, imaging, dynamic media and authoring tools enable customers to create, manage and deliver visually-rich, reliable content. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Adobe is the second largest PC software company in the U.S., with annual revenues exceeding $1.2 billion.

About the Electronic Frontier Foundation

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil liberties organization working to protect rights in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges industry and government to support free expression, privacy, and openness in the information society. EFF is a member-supported organization and maintains one of the most linked-to websites in the world:
  http://www.eff.org/

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