EFFector Online Volume 7.06


Mar. 24, 1994
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
editors@eff.org
ISSN 1062-9424


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In This Issue:


Subject: Summary of Revisions to House Bills 3636 and 3626

The House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up two major telecommunications bills last week. The Committee approved HR 3636, the National Communications Competition and Information Infrastructure Act of 1993, cosponsored by Reps. Markey (D-Mass.) and Fields (R-Tex.), and HR 3626, the Antitrust Reform Act of 1993, cosponsored by Reps. Brooks (D-Tex.) and Dingell (D-Mich.). The House Judiciary Committee, which also has jurisdiction over HR 3626, approved the bill in a different version. The House Rules Committee will decide which provisions from the two different versions of HR 3626 to allow on the floor.

Floor votes on HR 3626 and 3636 may be scheduled as early as late April.

Both bills are designed to provide more opportunity for competition in long-distance telephone, cable television, and cellular communication services. HR 3636 would allow cable and telephone companies to compete in each other's lines of business. HR 3626 is a major antitrust reform measure and would allow the regional Bell telephone operating companies, known as Baby Bells or RBOCs, to offer long-distance services.

HR 3636

HR 3636 proposes a major restructuring of the Communications Act of 1934 to account for changes in technology, market structure, and people's increasing needs for advanced telecommunications services. HR 3636 includes EFF's Open Platform provisions and supports an open, accessible network with a true diversity of information sources. Open Platform service is designed to give residential subscribers affordable access to voice, data, and video digital telephone service on a switched, end-to-end basis. Open Platform service would provide residential and business customers access to a variety of applications on the information highway, including distance learning, telemedicine, telecommuting, the Internet, and many more.

HR 3636 directs the FCC to investigate the policy changes needed to make Open Platform service widely available at reasonable rates.

The bill promotes the entry of telephone companies into video cable service and seeks to benefit customers by spurring competition in the cable television industry. Telephone companies that want to provide video programming would be required to provide video services through a "video platform," which would be open to all bona fide requests from other video programming providers. The markup bill substitutes a contract carriage regime for the original bill's common carriage regime by dropping the original bill's requirement that 75% of a telephone company's video platform channels must be reserved for competitors. Instead, the markup bill would require that video platforms have a suitable margin of capacity to meet reasonable growth in demand. To promote local competition in telecommunications services, the bill requires that local telephone companies open their networks to competitors who wish to interconnect with the public switched telephone network. The bill also would establish a Joint Federal-State Board (made up of FCC members and state regulators) to devise a framework for ensuring continued universal service. The Board would be required to define the services encompassed within a telephone company's universal service obligation and to promote access to advanced telecommunications technology.

Several amendments were approved during markup of HR 3636 to address a myriad of issues. Some of these amendments are designed to facilitate the deployment of advanced telecommunications services. For example, Rep. Boucher's (D-Va.) amendment would accelerate FCC approval of common carrier facilities' applications to provide video dialtone services under section 214 of the Communications Act. Rep. Swift's (D-Wash.) amendment would require telephone companies to provide at-cost preferential rates to noncommercial and governmental entities for advanced, non-video platform services. Rep. Schaefer's (R-Colo.) amendment would prohibit the imposition of fees on new telecommunications providers that are not imposed on existing service providers.

Other amendments address common carrier rate regulation. Rep. Tauzin (D-La.) sponsored an amendment requiring that a common carrier with more than 1.8 million access lines be "subject to alternative or price regulation, and not cost-based rate of return regulation," when it has implemented equal access, openness, and accessibility provisions. Another Tauzin amendment would allow broadcasters to use spectrum for ancillary services and provides that the FCC would collect fees generated from any broadcasts made using advanced services. Rep. Wyden (D-Ore.) sponsored an amendment requiring that telephone rate increases for residential customers who opt out of advanced telecommunications services must be implemented over a period of 5 years if they are more than an inflation adjustment. To address cross-subsidy and franchising requirements, Rep. Synar (D-Okla.) sponsored a ban on cross-subsidies between regulated telephone service and competitive telecommunications, information, and video services. In addition, Rep. Fields' (R-Tex.) amendment would preempt state and local governments' ability to extend their franchising authority over cable television providers to cover any telecommunications services offered by cable television operators.

HR 3626

This bill would phase out the limitations placed on the Baby Bells under the modified consent decree that resulted in the antitrust agreement that broke up AT&T in 1982 (the "MFJ" or "Modification of Final Judgment"). The MFJ currently precludes Baby Bells from providing long distance service and manufacturing telephone equipment. Until two years ago, the Bell Companies were precluded from electronic publishing.

The bill gives the Attorney General and the FCC the authority to make a public interest determination before a Baby Bell could offer competitive long distance services. The bill requires the Attorney General to make a finding that there is no substantial possibility that the Baby Bell or its affiliates could use monopoly power, for example by preventing access to networks or using profits earned, to impede competition in the market it seeks to enter. HR 3626 also would lift MFJ restrictions and allow Baby Bells to engage in manufacturing telephone equipment, electronic publishing, and burglar alarm services.

Two different versions of HR 3626 emerged from the Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Dingell, and the Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Brooks. The two Committee chairs had previously reached a compromise on the conditions under which Baby Bells should be allowed into interstate resale and intrastate service. However, the Judiciary Committee's version would tighten the requirements for Baby Bells to enter intrastate long distance and interstate resale.

Rep. Dingell's bill would allow Baby Bells to provide incidental services across the LATA boundaries that currently divide their regions. An amendment sponsored by Rep. Markey would list privacy requirements for common carriers and require the FCC to study the impact of converging technologies on consumer privacy. Rep. Markey also introduced an amendment to expand the definition of electronic publishing.

An amendment to both HR 3636 and 3626 would authorize additional FCC appropriations as necessary to carry out the acts and their amendments.

Return to the Table of Contents



Subject: NII Public Interest Summit Announcement - 03/29/94

Shaping the National Information Infrastructure - Public Interest Summit

ANNOUNCEMENT

NOTE: Use this electronic mail address for contact by clickingftp://ftp.eff.org/pub/EFF/Policy/Open_Platform/nii_summit.kit

  • http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Policy/Open_Platform/nii_summit.kit
  • gopher.eff.org,1/EFF/Policy/Open_Platform, nii_summit.kit

    We now have offline discussion groups forming all over the country. We have video clips coming in from great community-based projects too and radio stations signing up. That now happening, let's hear more from the Net!

    For discussion and debate on these matters, send a subscribe request to majordomo@civicnet.org: subscribe nii_agenda In your postings, please remember to Cc: to summit@tmn.com so we can gather the broadest number of responses out there possible into one place where we can work with them. The Summit agenda itself was posted just recently. Take a look at the people and organizations on the first panel.

    Consider the following panel description, and let the panelists know --and each to all -- what you think.

    Description of the First Panel:

    "Delivering the Goods: Meeting Public Needs?"

    The NII could have profound impacts on the way we learn, how we stay healthy or get well, how and where we work, and how we communicate within our community and beyond. Or it could be saturated with TV reruns and movies, home shopping, electronic games and gambling. What services, information and programming do we want delivered over the NII? What needs will not be met in the commercial marketplace? Once the hardware is in place, how will we guarantee that the information, health, education, cultural and other public interest benefits are available?

    WHAT DO YOU THINK? DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR A PANELIST?

    During the course of the all-day Summit, four panel discussions will cover the impacts, promises and dangers the information superhighway poses for individuals, our homes, jobs, education and health, the future of our democracy and our way of life. Topics will include public interest applications, Universal Service, communities and the economy, and making democracy work.

    The Summit will bring major consumer and public interest advocates together with key Administration officials. Panelists and moderators will include C. Everet Koop, Jean Armour Polly, Connie Stout, Pat Waak, Rev. Ben Chavis, Morty Bahr, Randy Ross, Mitch Kapor, Ralph Nader, Nadine Strosser, Sonia Jarvis, Linda Tarr-Whelan,Woody Wickham, Andrew Schwartzman, Peter Goldmark and many others.

    The Summit is supported by private foundations and organized by a broad-based coalition of public interest and non-profit organizations. The Summit will set a new process in motion that will bring a strong public voice to the critical communications legislation that is moving through Congress this year. Many of the activities we can begin over the next week will carry on after the Summit itself is over. We are dropping a pebble into a very big pond. Help turn the ripples into a wave of change.

    In addition to televised segments, panelists will also answer questions from callers and through the Internet on a special edition of the Derek McGinty Show. This joint effort of WAMU, Washington DC, and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters will be made available to stations nationwide over the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS) during the Summit.

    Further announcements from the Summit production staff will be made early next week. Press releases, the full agenda, a recently published survey of how Americans view the NII and other materials will become broadly available shortly. A gopher server will be established for the Summit, and pointed to from many gopher sites around the country and the Summit will be live on the Net during the event. Stay tuned!

    Return to the Table of Contents



    Subject: Third Annual EFF Pioneer Awards Announced

    On March 24, at the Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference in Chicago, Illinois, the Electronic Frontier Foundation presented its Third Annual Pioneer Awards to eight individuals or institutions who were judged to have made significant and influential contributions to computer-based communications or to the empowerment of individuals in using computers. The 1994 Pioneer Award recipients are Ivan Sutherland, Bill Atkinson, Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman, Murray Turoff and Starr Roxanne Hiltz, Lee Felsenstein, and the WELL (the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link).

    Nominations for the Pioneer Awards were carried out over several national and international computer-communication systems from December 1993 to February 1994. A panel of six judges selected the winners from these nominations.

    The Pioneer Award Recipients

  • Ivan Sutherland is the father of computer graphics. Author in the 1960s of the first graphics program for computers, Sketchpad, Sutherland is the person chiefly responsible for the recognition that computers can be more than advanced calculating machines--that instead they could be used as a medium for expression and design, an extension of the creative power of the human mind. Now at Sun Microsystems, Sutherland can be credited for making a triggering contribution to the modern-day emphasis on graphics in microcomputers and the beginnings of virtual-reality technology.

  • Bill Atkinson is one of the premier developers of the technology of the Macintosh personal computer. He was the graphics-toolbox developer for Apple's Lisa computers, for which he wrote the basic Quickdraw graphics routines at the heart of the Macintosh. Through his program MacPaint, Atkinson almost singlehandedly fulfilled Ivan Sutherland's vision of the computer as a creative tool, and his application HyperCard, the first truly mass-market hypertext product, put the power of Macintosh application and database design into the hands of nonprogrammers. Even in the small group of highly creative people who developed the Macintosh, a machine that continues to be a primary influence on nearly every new computer sold today, Atkinson, now of General Magic, stands out for both the breadth and the brilliance of his contribution.

    In a world in which many computer enthusiasts seem to worship technology for its own sake, Lee Felsenstein has been a pioneer in bringing computers to the general public. For decades he has been outspoken in his commitment to the ideal of making computers work for communities and individuals rather than against them. Through his work on the Bay Area's Community Memory project, his critical role in developing computer user groups, his development of the seminal portable microcomputer, the Osborne I, and of the Pennywhistle modem, Felsenstein has consistently shown himself to be an exemplar of the pioneer spirit on the electronic frontier.

  • Whitfield Diffie of Sun Microsystems and Martin Hellman of Stanford University are the persons chiefly responsible for public-key encryption. In a period in this country's history when the government, and in particular the National Security Agency, had a near-monopoly on encryption technology, Diffie and Hellman developed public-key encryption, a technology that enhances the ability of individuals to keep their communications private and that eliminates the reliance of individuals on third parties to ensure the authenticity of communications. One implementation of Diffie and Hellman's work, Pretty Good Privacy, is a worldwide standard in public-key encryption. Virtually every current public-policy debate on encryption has been profoundly shaped by Diffie and Hellman's work.

  • Murray Turoff and Starr Roxanne Hiltz are key innovators and the premier theorists of computer-mediated communications. Turoff and Hiltz wrote the seminal book that helped define the electronic frontier: The Network Nation. The term we currently use for online discussions, "computer conferencing," was popularized by Turoff almost a quarter-century ago. The term was no metaphor--it was a literal description of what they had built in the EIES ("Eyes") system -- that is, a system that allowed people to "confer" via the computer. Hiltz's notion that computer conferencing could form the basis of communities is a concept that increasingly dominates popular discussion of online conferencing systems. Hiltz and Turoff forecast most of the common uses and conventions of online conferencing systems that we see today.

  • The WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link) is one of the best known conferencing systems and virtual communities in the United States. Although many commercial systems are far larger, the WELL is the fulfillment of the vision that Turoff and Hiltz articulated in The Network Nation. It has been a gathering ground for everyone from Grateful Dead fans to the founding members of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Begun by Stewart Brand in the mid-'80s and long associated with the Whole Earth Review, the WELL continues to be the most influential example of "virtual community." Accepting the award for the WELL will be Cliff Figallo, former managing director of the WELL and former director of EFF's Cambridge office, now of Pandora Systems. Figallo, together with John Coate, is commonly regarded as a chief architect of the WELL's implementation of virtual community.

    JUDGES

    This year's judges for the Pioneer Awards were: Mike Godwin, online counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who coordinated the judging process, Jim Warren, Pioneer Award recipient from 1992 and founder of Infoworld, Mary Eisenhart, editor of Microtimes, Steven Levy, author of HACKERS and Macworld columnist, technology writer Paulina Borsook, and Mark Graham of Pandora Systems.

    For further information, contact Mike Godwin or Stanton McCandlish at 202-347-5400. Internet: ask@eff.org

    Return to the Table of Contents



    Subject: EFF Attending BBS Expo '94 in Washington, DC - 04/94

    EFF will be sending several staffers and its membership booth to the BBS Expo '94 Conference held from April 5-7, 1994 at the Sheraton Washington in Washington, DC. EFF's Executive Director, Jerry Berman, will be giving the keynote address, and staffers Shari Steele and Mike Godwin will both be hosting panels.

    Be sure to look for out membership booth in the exhibits hall to pick up our latest literature and t-shirts. There is a "Meet the EFF" BoF session tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, April 6 at 8pm. Hope to see you there!

    For information on attending BBS Expo '94 contact the conference coordinators at +1 609 953 5955

    Return to the Table of Contents



    Subject: Inter-Organization NTIA Workgroup Formed to Bring NII to New Mexico

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 16 March 1994

    CONTACT: Sharon K. Tison
    New Mexico Technology Consortium
    +1 505 983 6767 (voice)

    Public & Private Organizations Join Together to Prototype the Info Highway in New Mexico

    Los Alamos National Laboratory, the New Mexico Free-Net Alliance, the New Mexico Technology Consortium and New Mexico Technet are among a dozen public and private agencies and organizations that are joining together to develop prototypical models of the National Information Infrastructure (the so-called "information highway").

    The first step in this state-wide initiative for New Mexico is a joint proposal to create a state-wide info highway prototype. The organizations are requesting about a million dollars in matching funds from the US Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

    According to John R. Grizz Deal, director of the New Mexico Technology Consortium: "The call for proposals from NTIA is nation-wide and competition among states will be fierce. The only way New Mexico can effectively participate is by bringing together all interested parties into one comprehensive proposal."

    Deal goes on to say, "...this [joint proposal] will include community networks, the laboratories, educational institutions and several state agencies as well as private organizations dedicated to providing access to all those that want it."

    Several organizations in the state have already established, or are in the process of establishing, a connection to world-wide information networks. The joint proposal is an opportunity to bring together all of these groups to provide the basis of a state-wide, community-based initiative.

     The inter-organization NTIA proposal group will meet in Santa Fe during the second week of April. The proposal is due mid-May. All organizations and community-based computing networks interested in participating in the joint proposal are invited to attend. Contact the New Mexico Technology Consortium in Santa Fe at +1 505 983 6767 or here or by e-mail to grizz@lanl.gov for more information.

    J. R. Grizz Deal comments further:..

    "The idea is to split NTIA funds based on regional populations and matching/in-kind funds. I have hired a professional grant writer to bring this all together. All we will need from each participating group or agency is a single point of contact, a letter stating the organization's intent to participate and information on your group. Each participating group's budget and responsibilities (as it relates to the NTIA prototype) will be developed out of the joint meeting in April and continuing conversations while the proposal is being prepared".

    "Let me emphasize that the New Mexico Technology Consortium will NOT take any grant money from NTIA. We will facilitate this process as part of our on-going efforts to bring advanced telecommunications to New Mexico. We are still looking for participation [from] more federal agencies and industry."

    Readers may also be interested that Lew Newby of UNM and others are setting up a New Mexico Free-Net. Mail Return to the Table of Contents



    Subject: H.R. 3627 co-sponsored by Rep. Karen Shepherd (D-UT)

    Activism works! Writing to your representatives in goverment is not a waste of time or paper. It is effective, and it does produce results. In many cases, your Senators, Representatives, Assemblymembers, Delegates, etc., are not only unopposed to a bill, they may not even be aware of it or the issue at all.

    In Feb. 1994, EFF asked the net to help us show support for the Cantwell bill, HR 3627, which would liberalize export controls on cryptography. Thousands of you sent your letters in to this campaign, as well as to our parallel Leahy Clipper hearings campaign which was also a success. But the story doesn't stop there, and neither does the action. Co-sponsors or lack thereof can be the life or death of a bill, and the more co-sponsors HR 3627 has, the more likely it is to pass the House. Shabbir Safdar and many others have done some great work in this area, and one message indicating how effective personal grassroots activism can be was sent to us from Colin Campbell, whose Representative Karen Shepherd has agreed to co-sponsor the bill.

    We reproduce the letter below so you can see for yourself.

    From: Colin Campbellccampbel@dsd.es.com
    To: Jerry Berman jberman@eff.org
    Subject: H.R. 3627 will be co-sponsored by Rep. Karen Shepherd (D-UT)

    Dear Mr. Berman:

    I recently sent the following letter to my district's delegate in the House of Representatives, Rep. Karen Shepherd (D-UT) in support of H.R. 3627. Her office later telephoned me to say that before my letter she had been unaware of the issue, but after studying the issue she will be co-sponsoring the bill.

    ----- ----- ----- Text of Letter ----- ----- -----

    Rep. Karen Shepherd
    U.S. House of Representatives
    Washington, DC

    Dear Rep. Shepherd:

    I would like to register my strong support for H.R. 3627, Legislation to Amend the Export Administration Act of 1979. The bill proposes to end the ban on the export of privacy and data-security software from the U.S.

     As a longtime worker in the software industry, I can attest to the senseless and counter-productive effects of the current export restrictions on cryptographic software.

    For me, the issue is simple:

    1) The current ban is ineffective. There is no way to control the availability of privacy software in other countries. Software is not a commodity that is consumed and continually reexported to replenish supply; it is information and technology. The encryption technology in question is already fully available wherever there are computers. Whether we like it or not, the genie is out of the bottle and will not be put back.

    2) The U.S. software industry is severely hampered by not being able to export products with privacy and data-security features. This is about jobs.

    I think cryptography has a bit of an image problem. I think it is inaccurately associated in popular thinking with secrecy, espionage and even crime or terrorism. In fact, privacy software is just an electronic "envelope." It is as common and unexotic as paper envelopes or locking file cabinets.

    I regularly send my mail sealed in envelopes made of opaque paper, and no one would interpret this practice as evidence of criminal intent. Similarly, I file my business documents in a locking file cabinet. In the future, nearly all electronic communication will be enclosed in secure, software "envelopes." This is proper, natural and in no way suspect. And it is a growth industry for the U.S., if we are only sensible enough to recognize and take advantage of the opportunity

    . I believe that the arguments of national security offered by opponents of the proposed legislation are not compelling. I suspect that many in the law enforcement and national security communities, who pursued the majority of their careers with the technology and politics of the Cold War, regret the wide availability of electronic privacy; undeniably, it does make their job harder. However, whether or not we allow privacy software to be exported will not change this.

    Classifying privacy software as a "munition" makes about as much sense as classifying personal computers and photocopy machines as implements of war. Are we willing to forbid the export of personal computers and photocopy machines for national security reasons as well?

    Now is an opportunity for progressive, forward-thinking approaches to electronic communications and the software industry. Our national policy should reflect the realities of the technology and the public interest. Needlessly crippling one of our most vital industries with a policy which is ineffective at meeting its stated goals is not in that interest. I urge you to support and even co-sponsor H.R. 3627. This is an issue that is very important to the software community.

    If there is any way I can help you in your effort pass HR 3627, please let me know.

    Thank you for your consideration.

    Sincerely yours,

    Colin Campbell Return to the Table of Contents



    Subject: New features at EFF Online, EFF PGP Public Key & Activist List

    EFF now has an EFF Activist and Volunteers mailing list, eff-activists@eff.org

    The list is founded to provide a forum for discussion and planning, idea- sharing and bulletin posting, among activists on the electronic frontier, as well as a place for EFF volunteers to gather, plan, and execute projects, from helping stuff envelopes to programming and net.dissemination of files and information. We ask that people stay focussed and on topic, and resist any temptation to flame. The eff-activists list is a workgroup. For free-sprited debate and higher-bandwidth general discussion of EFFly issues, see Usenet's comp.org.eff.talk, available as the eff-talk@eff.org mailing list.

    To subscribe to eff-activists, send a request to ftp://ftp.eff.org/pub/EFF/Misc/pgpkey.eff

  • http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Misc/pgpkey.eff
  • gopher.eff.org,1/EFF/Misc,pgpkey.eff or can be retrieved via email, by sending any message to pgpkey@eff.org

    Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet, which can be found at:

    • ftp://ftp.eff.org/pub/Net_info/Big_Dummy/bigdummy.txt
    • http://www.eff.org/pub/Net_info/Big_Dummy/bigdummy.txt
    • gopher.eff.org,1/Net_info/Big_Dummy, bigdummy.txt or can be retrieved via email, by sending any message to Return to the Table of Contents


      

      Subject: Maryland Telecom Privacy Bill Fails

      A Maryland state legislature bill, the Nonbroadcast Telecommunications Privacy Act, failed to survive committee markup on Feb. 24, 1994.

      Sponsored by MD House Delegate Joan Pitkin, bill HB1627 had several landmark provisions for consumer privacy protection, including a definition of "interception" that protected 2-way data over cable networks; a requirement that nonbroadcast telecommunications providers remove from their records and databases personal information of ex-customers; and language prohibiting cable, satellite, and related data services from monitoring users for "viewing patterns or practices", and from building databases of, or even collecting, personal user information, without the user's written consent (excepting certain types of information, such as that required for billing and to ensure "system integrity"). Monitoring to obtain viewer stats in the aggregate, without recording personal details, would have still been allowed by the bill.

      The legislation, though weak in some areas (notably, by focusing on the passive aspects of little more than cable and satellite tv viewing), nonetheless did have many provisions hinting at a wider market in the future, including upstream use of heretofore one-way bandwidth, and the use of television technology for person-to-person communication.

      Del. Pitkin had been interested in making the text of the bill, already becoming subjected to weakening amendments in committee, available on the Internet, and had hoped to generate comment from net users. Unfortunately, the lack of internet access at MD government offices prevented our receipt of the bill until after it had already died in committee, as it had to be ground-shipped. Her staff indicates that she is likely to re-propose a version of the bill next session. Pitkin says she first proposed this sort of legislation in MD some twenty years ago. "Back then, no one knew what I was talking about," she said. "Many still don't." She also said that MD legislation tends to build in stages, with the passage of general frameworks happening intially, to be built upon in layers by amendment over the years.

      Before the bill failed to pass committee it had been subject to heavy amendment, removing large sections. However, its provisions were also generalized to include other communications providers, and audio or video monitoring, without permission, of customers was added to the list of "don'ts".

      Given this, and the fact that the bill came under harsh crossfire from most major telcos and cable companies (who have a vested interest in retaining their ability to build, and rent and sell, databases of personal customer info), Maryland telecommunications users may wish to watch for this legislation's next incarnation, and lend their support, knowing that even if it is missing a few pieces to the puzzle there is room for improvement after the basic legal "infrastructure" is laid down. Del. Pitkin expressed interest in hearing from constituents about these issues, and would probably be heartened to learn of wide support for the next go-around. Her office can be reached at:

      +1 410 841 3105 (voice)
      +1 410 841 3104 (fax)

      The full text of the bill is available at:

      The amendments to the bill are available in hb1627.amend (same paths).

      EFF is interested in hearing about other local and state legislation of relevance. Send info to Return to the Table of Contents



      Subject: Compton's/Britannica/Tribune Multimedia Patent Rejected

      A Voorhees Report, redistributed with permission (c) 1994 Mark Voorhees

      PATENT OFFICE REJECTS COMPTON'S NEWMEDIA PATENT
      Controversial CD-ROM filing falls during re-exam

      March 24, 1994--The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the controversial Compton's NewMedia patent during a re-examination.

      The patent covers basic techniques for searching and retrieving information from CD-ROM data bases. It has generated wide criticism in the computer and technology fields as a symbol of the problems with software patents. Some critics say the techniques were not new at the time of the patent filing. A minority of critics say patents should not cover software.

      Most or all of the 41 claims were rejected on the basis that they were not novel or were obvious. The rejection was delivered to Encyclopaedia Britannica, one of the patent owners, last Wednesday.

      Encyclopaedia Britannica and Tribune Co., the other patent owner, will have at least once chance to persuade the office that its rejection is wrong. Afterward, the owners can appeal either to federal court or to an appellate tribunal within the patent office.

      Examiner Archie Williams cited a popular computer book, The HyperCard Handbook, and several patents as evidence that Compton's NewMedia was not the first inventor of the CD-ROM techniques.

      Patent Commissioner Bruce Lehman took the rare step of ordering the re-exam after industry protest over how the patent would upset the advance of multimedia and interactive technologies.

      Return to the Table of Contents



      Subject: What YOU Can Do

      "The defendents objections to the evidence obtained by wire-tapping must, in my opinion, be sustained. It is, of course, immaterial where the physical connection with the telephone wires leading into the defendant's premises was made. And it is also immaterial that the intrusion was in aid of law enforcement. Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding."
      - Justice Louis D. Brandeis, dissenting, Olmstead v. United States, 277 U.S. 479 (1928)

      You've been following the newspapers and reading EFFector Online. You know that today there are several battles being fought over the future of personal privacy. The Clipper Chip, export restrictions, the Digital Telephony Proposal - the arguments are numerous and complex, but the principles are clear. Who will decide how much privacy is "enough"?

      The Electronic Frontier Foundation believes that individuals should be able to ensure the privacy of their personal communications through any technological means they choose. However, the government's current restrictions on the export of encrytion software have stifled the development and commercial availability of strong encryption in the U.S. Rep. Maria Cantwell has introduced a bill (H.R. 3627) in the House that would liberalize export controls on software that contains encryption, but needs vocal support if the bill is to make it out of the committee stage.

      The decisions that are made today will affect our futures indefinitely. EFF is a respected voice for the rights of users of online technologies and EFF members receive regular online updates on the issues that affect our online communications and particpate in shaping the future.

      Now, more than ever, EFF is working to make sure that you are the one that makes these decisions for yourself. Our members are making themselves heard on the whole range of issues. To date, EFF has collected over 4800 letters of support for Rep. Cantwell's bill to liberalize restrictions on cryptography. We also have over 1400 letters supporting Sen. Leahy's open hearings on the proposed Clipper encryption scheme.

      If you'd like to add your voice in support of the Cantwell bill and the Leahy hearings, you can send your letters to:

    • cantwell@eff.org, Subject: I support HR 3627
    • leahy@eff.org, Subject: I support hearings on Clipper

      Your letters will be printed out and hand delivered to Rep. Cantwell and Sen. Leahy by EFF.

      You KNOW privacy is important. You have probably participated in our online campaigns. Have you become a member of EFF yet? We feel that the best way to protect your online rights is to be fully informed and to make your opinions heard. EFF members are informed, and are making a difference. Join EFF today!

      -------- 8< ------- cut here ------- 8< --------

      ================================================

      MEMBERSHIP IN THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION

      ================================================

      Print out and mail to:
      Membership Coordinator
      Electronic Frontier Foundation
      1001 G Street, NW, Suite 950 East, Washington, DC 20001

      I wish to become a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I enclose:
      $__________ Regular membership -- $40
      $__________ Student membership -- $20

      Special Contribution

      I wish to make an additional tax-deductible donation in the amount of $__________ to further support the activities of EFF and to broaden participation in the organization.

      PAYMENT METHOD:

      ___ Enclosed is a check payable to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

       ___ Please charge my:
      ___ MasterCard ___ Visa ___ American Express

      Card Number: ___________________________________________

      Expiration Date: _________________________________________

      Signature: ______________________________________________

      NOTE: We do not recommend sending credit card information via the Internet!

      YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION:

      Name: _________________________________________________

      Organization: ____________________________________________

      Address: ________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________

      Phone: (____) _______________ FAX: (____) _______________ (optional)

      E-mail address: __________________________________________

      PREFERRED CONTACT

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