From: | info@tozan.com |
Date: | 25 Jul 2001 at 20:05:44 |
Subject: | Re: Linux Community joint statement against DMCA |
RMAU@yahoogroups.com
On 25-Jul-01, you wrote:
> In case anyone is interrested in this.
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> Here is an extract from the latest EFF newsletter - Ian
>
>
> Respected British Scientist Resigns from US-Based Conference-Planning
> Committee
>
> Citing Fear of Prosecution under DMCA
>
> UK scientist & programmer Alan Cox, a key member of the USENIX Annual
> Linux Showcase (ALS) planning committee, has resigned in the wake of
> the arrest of DEFCON presenter Dmitry Sklyarov and legal threats
> against USENIX presenter Prof. Edward Felten & colleagues, under the
> questionably-constitutional US "Digital Millennium Copyright Act"
> (DMCA). Cox sent USENIX the following open letter of resignation:
>
> I hereby tender my resignation to the USENIX ALS committee.
>
> With the arrest of Dimitry Sklyarov it has become apparent that it
> is not safe for non-US software engineers to visit the United
> States. While he was undoubtedly chosen for political reasons as a
> Russian it is a good example for the US public that the risk
> extends arbitarily further.
>
> USENIX by its choice of a US location is encouraging other
> programmers, many from Eastern European states hated by the US
> government, to take the same risks. That is something I cannot
> morally be part of. Who will be the next conference speaker slammed
> into a US jail for years for committing no crime? Are USENIX
> prepared to take the chance it will be their speakers?
>
> Until the DMCA mess is resolved I would urge all non-US citizens to
> boycott conferences in the USA and all US conference bodies to hold
> their conferences elsehere.
>
> I appreciate that this problem is not of USENIX making, but it must
> be addressed.
>
> Alan Cox
>
> Similar resignations of non-US members of US conference- and other
> event-planning bodies are increasing, with many more expected. It is
> thus crystal clear that the DMCA is having one of the most palpable
> "chilling effects" in American history on perfectly legal expression.
> EFF remains very concerned about such "secondary effects" of this
> legislation, and is committed to seeing it undone.
>
> [Sources: Linux World News & NewsForge
>
> - end -
> _________________________________________________________________
> _______________________________________________
>
>
> Linux Community Joint Statement Against DMCA:
>
> Digital Millennium Copyright Act Threatens Researchers
>
> Free Speech, Free Sklyarov
>
> A Community Declaration:
>
> Dmitry Sklyarov, a Russian academic, has been imprisoned after
> presenting a scientific paper at the DEF CON computer security
> conference. His talk covered the restriction mechanisms used to
> prevent people from reading electronic books. He was formally charged
> with distributing software that could be used to circumvent copy
> protection.
> [See press coverage]
>
> The Digital Millennium Copyright Act attacks freedom of speech and
> assembly and damages the economic health of the United States.
>
> Sklyarov was arrested by the FBI outside his hotel as he prepared to
> go to the airport. The arrest was instigated by Adobe Systems
> Corporation.
>
> It is ironic that a Russian national is being held without bail in the
> US for what is essentially a thoughtcrime. Through the passage of the
> DMCA we have criminalized speech and scientific research about the
> structure of computer programs as well as other simple acts such as
> reading of books and other media.
>
> The DMCA goes far beyond the need to protect from illegal copies of
> books and other media. Since it criminalizes not only the act of
> copying but even development and possession of programs which are
> capable of reading these media for legitimate use. For example, the
> DMCA criminalizes used book stores, in that the DMCA helps publishers
> lock up books so tight that the electronic analog of a used book store
> would be impossible.
>
> This is not the first time that DMCA has been used as a weapon against
> legitimate scientific research. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has
> brought suit on behalf of USENIX and Princeton Professor Edward Felten
> after the Professor and his research team were threatened with DMCA
> prosecution by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).
> This threat was delivered after it became known that Professor Felten
> was presenting a paper showing the insecurity of a method of
> protecting music, just as Sklyarov was arrested after presenting a
> similar paper about electronic books.
>
> The DMCA, in spite of its supposed exception, punishes reverse
> engineering. Bans on reverse engineering in the 70s would have made
> the PC revolution (and companies like Compaq, Phoenix and Dell)
> illegal.
>
> The extremism of the DMCA provisions prohibiting research, development
> and publication of tools for distributing and displaying copyrighted
> works must be eliminated. These provisions drop an Iron Curtain on the
> United States of America. It should never be illegal to make or
> discuss such tools.
>
> Noted Signatories (see Other Signatories page:
> http://www.dibona.com/dmca/signers/index.shtml
> for more):
>
> Larry Augustin - CEO and Chairman, VA Linux Systems
> Jeff Bates - Executive Editor, Slashdot.org
> Brian Behlendorf - President, Apache Software Foundation, CTO
> Collab.net
> Chris DiBona - Grant Chair, Linux International
> Miguel Di Icaza - Co-Founder and CTO, Ximian Inc.
> Nat Friedman - Co-Founder and VP Product Development, Ximian Inc.
> Marty Garbus - Attorney, Frankfurt, Garbus, Kurnit, Klein & Selz,
> PC
> Jon "Maddog" Hall - Executive Director, Linux International
> Ed Hernstadt - Attorney, Frankfurt, Garbus, Kurnit, Klein & Selz,
> PC
> Rob Malda - Founder and Editor, Slashdot.org
> Don Marti - Technical Editor, Linux Journal
> Bruce Perens - Primary Author, "The Open Source Definition"
> Eric S. Raymond - President, Open Source Initiative
> Lawrence Rosen - Attorney, Rosenlaw.com and Executive Director,
> Open Source Initiative
> David Sifry - Co-Founder, LinuxCare, Inc.
> Shari Steele - Executive Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation
> Brad Templeton - Chairman of the BoardElectronic Frontier
> Foundation
> Linus Torvalds - Lead Kernel Developer, Linux
> Art F. Tyde - CEO, Linuxcare
> Bob Young - Co-Founder and Chairman, Red Hat, Inc.
>
> Care to join them?
>
> Sign your name to this declaration as well:
> http://www.dibona.com/dmca/signup/index.shtml
>
> Press Contacts:
>
> Don Marti dmarti@zgp.org
> Eric S. Raymond esr@thyrsus.com
> Bruce Perens bruce@perens.com
> Chris DiBona chris@dibona.com
>
> Please note that all of the Press Contacts will be available for
> discussion at the O'Reilly Open Source Conference the week of the 22nd
> of July.
>
> Resources:
>
> The EFF page on Sklyarov: http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/US_v_Sklyarov/
> The EFF page on Edward Felten: http://www.eff.org/Legal/Cases/
> Felten_v_RIAA/
> The Free-Sklyarov Mailing list: http://zork.net/mailman/listinfo/
> free-sklyarov
>
>
> EFFector Vol. 14, No. 15 July 22, 2001 editor@eff.org
>
> A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424
>
> In the 175th Issue of EFFector (now with over 28,000 subscribers!):
>
>
> For more information on EFF activities & alerts: http://www.eff.org
> - end -
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> NCLUG mailing list
> NCLUG@nclug.org
> http://www.nclug.org/mailman/listinfo/nclug
>
>
>
>
Regards
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