Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2003 23:07:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: Effector List <alerts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: farber@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: EFFector 16.23: Alert: Help Broaden the World IP Debate; RIAA
Announces P2P Lawsuits
EFFector Vol. 16, No. 23 September 8, 2003 ren@xxxxxxx
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424
In the 262nd Issue of EFFector:
* Action Alert: Help Broaden the World IP Debate!
* Recording Industry Announces Lawsuits Against Music Sharers
* D.C.-Area EFFector Readers: European Cybercrime Talk Tomorrow
* EFF Needs a Volunteer Intern Coordinator
* Deep Links (17): Aiming at Pornography to Hit Music Piracy
* Staff Calendar: 9.6-11.03 Cindy Cohn at Ars Electronica in Austria
* Administrivia
For more information on EFF activities & alerts:
<http://www.eff.org/>
To join EFF or make an additional donation:
<https://secure.eff.org/>
EFF is a member-supported nonprofit. Please sign up as a member today!
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* Action Alert: Help Broaden the World IP Debate!
The cost of software, availability of medicine and production of valuable
scientific knowledge are, in large part, determined by the policies of the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Today, WIPO focuses on
restrictive intellectual property regimes, but it doesn't have to be that
way tomorrow. WIPO is holding a budget meeting in Geneva from September 8-
10, where it will decide whether or not to schedule increased discussions
of open and collaborative development models (OCDM). OCDM includes open
source software like Linux and collaborative scientific endeavors like the
Human Genome Project - valuable initiatives that benefit the public. WIPO
expressed support for such a discussion, but backed off when the U.S.
Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) warned it away. Tell the USPTO to
reconsider its misguided stance and support public information resources
throughout the world!
<http://action.eff.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=2776>
(Note: International residents are also encouraged to take this action)
Become an EFF Member today:
<https://secure.eff.org>
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* Recording Industry Announces Lawsuits Against Music Sharers
Electronic Frontier Foundation Warning on "Amnesty" Program
San Francisco - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) today
filed 261 lawsuits against people who allegedly shared copyrighted music
online. The RIAA announced plans to sue more file-sharers and introduced an
"amnesty" program available only to file-sharers who the RIAA has not yet
identified or sued.
The lawsuits come in the wake of more than 1600 subpoenas the RIAA filed in
recent weeks, seeking the identities of file-sharers who allegedly
downloaded a "substantial amount" of copyrighted works. The RIAA claims
that the music fans have engaged in illegal direct copyright infringement.
"More lawsuits is not the answer. Does anyone think that suing 60 million
American file-sharers is going to motivate them to buy more CDs?" said EFF
Staff Attorney Wendy Seltzer. "File sharing networks represent the greatest
library of music in history, and music fans would be happy to pay for
access to it, if only the recording industry would let them."
Under the amnesty program, dubbed the "Clean Slate Program," the RIAA
claims files-sharers can avoid lawsuits if they sign a declaration pledging
that they will delete all copyrighted music files from their hard drives
and mp3 players and never again share or download music illegally. The
amnesty program is only available to people who the RIAA has not yet sued
or subpoenaed.
"The RIAA has offered 'sham-nesty,' not amnesty, for those sharing music
online," explained EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz. "The recording
industry wants file-sharers to confess guilt, while leaving these music
fans vulnerable to lawsuits from record companies and music publishers and
bands like Metallica that control independent music rights."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has maintained that the recording
industry should offer file-sharers a real amnesty program, for example, an
opportunity to pay a reasonable monthly fee for to access the music they
love using file-sharing software.
Links
For this Release:
<http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/20030908_eff_pr.php>
EFF's Analysis of the RIAA "Amnesty" Program:
<http://eff.org/share/amnesty.php>
EFF Let the Music Play Campaign:
<http://eff.org/share/>
How Not to Get Sued by the RIAA:
<http://eff.org/IP/P2P/howto-notgetsued.php>
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* D.C.-Area EFFector Readers: European Cybercrime Talk Tomorrow
On Tuesday, September 9, there will be a talk on problems with the Council
of Europe CyberCrime Convention (CCC) in Washington, D.C. This treaty,
which the United States has signed, could lead to huge changes in US and
international criminal law and procedure. Professor Bert-Jaap Koops,
author of the WWW Crypto Law Survey, will discuss significant problems with
the treaty. Prof. Koops' talk is free and open to the public
Details:
Date: Sept 9, 6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Location: 108 Phillips Hall (22nd and Eye St., NW, Washington DC)
For a summary of the CCC, please see:
http://www.crime-research.org/eng/library/CoE_Cybercrime.html
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* EFF Needs a Volunteer Intern Coordinator
We're looking for a volunteer who can coordinate and organize our
volunteer and intern program. Responsibilities include advertising
internships in schools and on websites, processing applications through a
task management application, setting up interviews, attending volunteer
meetings in San Francisco, and coordinating interns and volunteers once
accepted.
We are looking for a detail oriented person with basic+ computer skills and
great "people" skills who can commit at least 10 hours a week for a period
of six months. Internships are unpaid but school credit may be available.
You must live in the Bay Area to apply.
Links
More info here:
<http://www.eff.org/opportunities/vol_intern_form.html>
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* Deep Links
Deep Links features noteworthy news items from around the Internet.
~ Aiming at Pornography to Hit Music Piracy
The recording industry is just awfully concerned about displaying women and
teenagers as hyper-sexualized objects, didn't you hear? Does that mean
that Britney, Christina and the Olsen Twins are free to go back to high
school next week?
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/07/technology/07PORN.html?hp>
~ Poverty and Privacy: Tracking the Homeless
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is planning to build
"Homeless Management Information Systems." Since when do you need a lease
to have privacy rights?
<http://www.epic.org/privacy/poverty/>
~ RIAA Paperwork: Form UR-SCROO D
Now that's what we call amnesty:
<http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030907>
~ Face Recognition: Another One Bites the Dust
Logan International Airport's camera system failed 96 of its 249 attempts
to identify volunteer test subjects over the last year (a cool 39% failure
rate):
<http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030902/5460651s.htm>
~ eBay Pulls iTunes Auction
George Hotelling's auction of downloaded music runs afoul of the
improperly-capitalized duo:
<http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5071566.html?tag=fd_top>
~ NBC Announces Law and Order: RIAA Series
Fresh from the Bureau of Almost Too Real to Be Funny:
<http://bbspot.com/News/2003/09/law_and_order_riaa.html>
~ Think Your Next Vote Will Be Counted Correctly? Get it in Writing
Paper trails are good for democracy, Wired reports:
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,60195,00.html>
~ EMI Loses Suit in France for Selling Defective CDs
Woman successfully recovers the cost of a "copy protected" disc that
wouldn't play in her car stereo, judge tells record label not to sell
defective CDs:
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/32636.html>
~ It's 2003: Do You Know Where Your Civil Liberties Are?
The Arlington, VA chapter of Amnesty International is holding educational
forums on Patriot Act I and II. A grassroots answer to Ashcroft's "Victory
Tour?"
<http://www.amnesty-volunteer.org/usa/group159/index.html>
~ BoycottDelta.com's Scannell Back Again
This time he's taking on all of CAPPS II:
<http://www.dontspyon.us>
~ Consumers File Racketeering Suit Against DirecTV
"These are three guys who had nothing to do with any satellite piracy,
extorted into paying the money," says California lawyer Jeffrey Wilens:
<http://securityfocus.com/news/6865>
~ Dutch Court Rejects Scientologist Claims
Free speech trumps copyright after a seven year fight:
<http://www.xs4all.nl/nieuws/overzicht/arrestscientology.pdf>
~ Judge Rules in DMCA/Garage Door Case
A garage door maker can't use copyright law to block competitors from
making universal remotes:
<http://research.yale.edu/lawmeme/modules.php?name=News&new_topic=49>
~ Doctors Without Borders on the Free Trade Area of the Americas
Negotiations
The FTAA is bad on technology and copyright, and it will also make medicine
more expensive throughout the Americas:
<http://tinyurl.com/mjzp>
~ Porn Filters in Practice
Fairbanks, Alaska is considering a proposal to filter the Internet in its
public libraries. This reporter thinks it's a bad idea:
<http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7252~1615168,00.html#>
~ More Debate on P2P
OpenDemocracy has a feisty debate raging on the future of P2P:
<http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/debate.jsp?debateId=101&id=8>
~ Travel Agent on CAPPS II
Edward Hasbrouck is a travel agent with a lot of concerns about the privacy
of travel data:
<http://hasbrouck.org>
~ Handicaps in CAPPS: Computerized Passenger Screening Is Not so Easy
Wendy Grossman talks about the technical difficulties of CAPPS II in the
September 2003 issue of Scientific American:
<http://tinyurl.com/mjmx>
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* Staff Calendar
For a complete listing of EFF speaking engagements (with
locations and times), please visit:
<http://www.eff.org/calendar/>
~ September 6-11 - Cindy Cohn at Ars Electronica Conference in Linz,
Austria
<http://www.aec.at/en/festival/index.asp?nocache=172271 >
~ Thursday, September 11 - Kevin Bankston at the Commonwealth Club in San
Francisco (9:00 AM - 10:00 AM)
"Patriot Act Panel: A Closer Look at the Patriot Act - Is It
Constitutional?"
<http://www.commonwealthclub.org/featured.html#patriot-act>
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* Administrivia
EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco CA 94110-1914 USA
+1 415 436 9333 (voice)
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http://www.eff.org/
Editor:
Ren Bucholz, Activist
ren@xxxxxxx
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