EFFector, Vol. 14, No. 16; July 27, 2001

EFFector Vol. 14, No. 16 July 27, 2001 editor@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424

In the 176th Issue of EFFector (now with over 28,000 subscribers!):

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EFF Rejoins "Free Dmitry" Protests

After Meeting with US Attorney's Office

For Immediate Release: July 27, 2001

Contact:

[NOTE: Will Doherty will be out of the office until
August 8, so please direct media requests to Robin
or to press@eff.org]

San Francisco, CA - Representatives of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) met with representatives of the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco today. There was a productive dialog, however the U.S. Attorney's office did not agree to drop the prosecution against Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov.

"The people from the U.S. Attorney's office heard our concerns and asked probing questions about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act," explained EFF's Executive Director Shari Steele. "However, they did not give any indication of their plans for Dmitry, so we encourage everyone to keep up the pressure and join the protests."

Having explored good faith negotiations, the Electronic Frontier Foundation rejoins the call for nonviolent protests worldwide to secure the immediate release of Dmitry Sklyarov and drop all criminal charges against him.

A protest is already scheduled in San Francisco for 11:30am this coming Monday, July 30, at the Federal Courthouse at 450 Golden Gate Ave. Additional July 30th protests are scheduled in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Minneapolis, and future protests will likely occur in 25 or more cities worldwide in coming weeks.

About EFF:

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 Web sites in the world:
http://www.eff.org/

Adobe, Electronic Frontier Foundation Call for Release

of Russian Programmer Dmitry Sklyarov

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: July 23, 2001

Contact for EFF:

Contact for Adobe:

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

Join EFF in Fundraising Dinner with Ed Felten

Washington, D.C., Aug. 15.

Join the Electronic Frontier Foundation in celebration of the presentation of Professor Ed Felten's Reading Between the Lines: Lessons from the SDMI Challenge at the USENIX Security Symposium on August 15th, 2001! Come and meet Professor Felten, his research team, and legal team, and support EFF's legal battle to get this paper presented. We will be dining at the prestigious Red Sage restaurant after the panel discussion on SDMI/DMCA, which runs from 6:30 - 7:00 on the evening of August 15th.

The Red Sage is just around the block from the J.W. Marriott Hotel. We will be gathering in the Continental room at 7:30, and dinner will begin at 8:00.

Come support the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in defending our rights to think, speak, and share our ideas, thoughts, and needs using new technologies!

Based in San Francisco, EFF is a donor-supported membership organization working to protect our fundamental rights regardless of technology; to educate the press, policymakers and the general public about civil liberties issues related to technology; and to act as a defender of those liberties. Among our various activities, EFF opposes misguided legislation, initiates and defends court cases preserving individuals' rights, launches global public campaigns, introduces leading edge proposals and papers, hosts frequent educational events, engages the press regularly, and publishes a comprehensive archive of digital civil liberties information at one of the most linked-to websites in the world: http://www.eff.org.

There are only 25 spots left, so sign up early! Contact Contact Katie by email at katie@eff.org or by phone at +1 415-436-9333 x104 to reserve a spot. The price of admission to the celebration with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Ed Felten, his research team, and the legal team is $250, which includes dinner and wine at the legendary Red Sage restaurant.

Attention Musicians: Sign Up to Play

at EFF's Share-In Music Festival

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) would like to invite you to participate in an open air concert event for everyone who loves music. EFF Unplugged will feature musicians from around the Bay Area performing acoustically in Golden Gate Park. Artists participating in this event will permit recording of their performances by those in attendance in support of EFF's Open Audio License (OAL).

The OAL was developed to help artists share their work with others without giving up the recognition they deserve for creating the art. Based on the open source and free software initiatives for software development, the open audio license encourages artists to share with one another and their fans and to build upon the works of others.

Adoption of the OAL does not mean that an artist does not get compensated for his or her work. On the contrary--the OAL permits artists to share single tracks or performances, with recognition, that could lead to sales of additional music. EFF is extremely sensitive to supporting new models of music distribution in the digital world that see more money going to the artists themselves. One of the great qualities of the Internet is that packaging and distributing music, which is where most of the money is currently spent by record companies, is trivial. EFF is committed to developing tools that empower artists to take control over their own art and to be compensated appropriately for their works.

EFF believes that many of the laws and technologies being developed today to protect intellectual property actually harm the public's First Amendment and fair use rights and make criminals of people doing perfectly legitimate things. We are striving to help artists realize the full potential of the Internet for reaching their fans by challenging restrictive laws in courtrooms and through public education events, like this one.

In addition to several stages of acoustical music, the Share-In will showcase numerous artist booths, where musicians can sell their music and merchandise to the public. In addition, there will be booths hosted by EFF and outside sponsors, including artists' rights organizations and independent labels. For more information about participating in EFF's Music Share-In, contact:

EFF is the leading civil liberties organization working to protect rights in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges everyone 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 at:
http://www.eff.org/

Administrivia

The Electronic Frontier Foundation
454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco CA 94110-1914 USA
+1 415 436 9333 (voice)
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
http://www.eff.org/

Editors:
Katina Bishop, EFF Education & Offline Activism Director
Stanton McCandlish, EFF Technical Director/Webmaster
editors@eff.org

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