EFFector       Vol. 15, No. 16,       May 28th, 2002     editors@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation     ISSN 1062-9424

In the 216th Issue of EFFector:

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Sing Out Against The CBDTPA

Electronic Frontier Foundation ACTION ALERT

(Issued: May 28, 2002 / Expires: June 28, 2002)



Imagine a world where all digital media technology is controlled by Congress and Hollywood. Senator Ernest Hollings and a powerful group of Hollywood entertainment interests are pushing Congress to pass an anti-consumer bill called the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act (CBDTPA) to bring just such a world into existence.

The CBDTPA promises a world where your ability to use the digital media that you buy may be severely limited. Legal freedoms that you have long enjoyed could drastically change. If CBDTPA passes, you may not be able to:

This is not the way copyright law is supposed to work. The Betamax decision, handed down by the Supreme Court in 1984, established the principle of "substantial non-infringing uses" - if a technology (such as a VCR) can be used for legitimate copying, such as time shifting or home viewing, the fact that the technology can also be used for copyright infringement does not make the technology illegal. The Betamax principle allows technologists to create tools that can be used for good, even if they can be used in other ways. The CBDTPA breaks the delicate balance reached between copyright holders and those making fair uses of copyrighted works. This bill, and other attempts by Hollywood to curtail your rights, must be stopped.

What YOU Can Do Now:
This is YOUR chance to voice your opposition to CBDTPA.
- Subscribe to the new EFF Action Center and send your member of Congress an email, letter or fax. You can view the brand new Tinsel Town Club animation and take action by going to:
- Join EFF! For membership information see:

Contact:

Ren Bucholz
Activist
Electronic Frontier Foundation
ren@eff.org
+1 415 436-9333 x121 (office)

- end -

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Editor:
Ren Bucholz, Activist

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