[Fwd: EFFector 16.19: Congress Tries to Make File-Sharing a Felony; EFF Launches File Sharing Ads]

["Olga Francois" <ofrancois@xxxxxxxx>]

FYI...

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: EFFector 16.19: Congress Tries to Make File-Sharing a Felony;
EFF Launches File Sharing Ads
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 02:22:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Effector List <alerts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: ofrancois@xxxxxxxx

EFFector         Vol. 16, No. 19          July 25, 2003        
ren@xxxxxxx

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation          ISSN
1062-9424
In the 258th Issue of EFFector:
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* P2P Update: EFF's National P2P Ad Campaign, Congress Tries to Make P2P
a Felony

~ EFF Launches File-Sharing Ads
An ad from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) intended for the
more than 60 million U.S. residents sharing music files online appeared
in Rolling Stone's August 9 issue and became available on newsstands on 
Friday, July 18.

The EFF ad -- part of an ongoing campaign to protect the rights of
people sharing music online while compensating artists -- shows several
music fans in a police-style lineup accused of sharing files online
using peer-to-peer (P2P) technology like Kazaa and Morpheus. The ad copy
reads, "Tired of being treated like a criminal for sharing music
online?" and "File-Sharing: It's Music to Our Ears."

"EFF created the 'Let the Music Play' campaign to raise awareness about 
critical changes needed in copyright law and industry practice,"
explained EFF Executive Director Shari Steele. "We want to make sure
artists get paid without making criminals out of the over 60 million
music lovers who use file sharing networks in the U.S."

The EFF ad will also appear in Spin, Blender, Vibe, PC Gamer, and
Computer Gaming World over the next two months.

Links
For this advisory:
<http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/20030718_eff_pr.php>

EFF Let the Music Play ad featured in Rolling Stone:
<http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/music-to-our-ears.php>

EFF Let the Music Play Campaign:
<http://www.eff.org/share/>

For a print-quality TIFF of the ad, please email ren@xxxxxxx with the
words "P2P Ad" in the subject line.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ Misguided "Anti-Piracy" Bill Introduced in Congress 
Members of the U.S. Congress July 17 introduced the Author, Consumer,
and Computer Owner Protection and Security (ACCOPS) Act of 2003,
targeting for criminal prosecution the 60 million Americans engaged in
Internet file sharing of music and movies.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) criticized the measure as an 
overbroad and misguided attack on peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing
technology.

"Jailing people for file sharing is not the answer," noted EFF Senior
Staff Attorney Fred von Lohmann. "Proponents of this bill are casting
aside privacy, innovation, and even our personal liberty as collateral
damage in their war against file sharing."

The ACCOPS bill was introduced in the House of Representatives today by 
Representatives Conyers, Berman, Schiff, Meehan, Wexler, and Weiner, all 
member of the House Judiciary Committee.  Write your Congresspersontoday 
and urge them to stop this legislation.

Links
Urge your Rep to oppose ACCOPS:
<http://action.eff.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=2753>

For this advisory:
<http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/20030717_eff_pr.php>

Author, Consumer, and Computer Owner Protection and Security (ACCOPS)
Act of 2003:
<http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/20030716_conyer-berman.php>

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* Electronic Frontier Foundation Renews Copyright Request

Asks Copyright Office to Allow Consumer CD/DVD Uses

San Francisco - The U.S. Copyright Office on July 22 posted comments
from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) requesting protection for
certain consumer uses of DVDs.

EFF urged the Register of Copyrights and the Librarian of Congress to
grant exemptions to the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) ban
on circumventing technological locks that prevent consumers from fully 
enjoying the digital media they have purchased.

"We welcome the Copyright Office's interest in understanding the real 
impact of the DMCA on consumers' everyday non-infringing uses of CDs and 
DVDs," stated EFF Staff Attorney Gwen Hinze. "We have urged theCopyright 
Office to grant exemptions to remove the DMCA's chilling effect on
consumers' existing rights and to restore the constitutionally-mandated 
balance to copyright law."

EFF filed the comments in response to questions posed by the Copyright 
Office following public hearings held in April and May 2003. In oral
testimony and post-hearing comments, EFF asked the Copyright Office to
grant exemptions to give consumers guidance about legal uses of the
digital media they have purchased.

The Copyright Office asked for further information about how DVD
technology works. In particular, it asked if the Content Scramble System
(CSS) on DVD movies, along with the ban on bypassing CSS, prevents
consumers from legally modifying DVD plaers to fast forward through
"unskippable" advertisements and play foreign movies on U.S. DVD
players. The Copyright Office has also asked the RIAA to identify the
number and titles of copy-protected CDs released in the U.S.

The comments are part of the Copyright Office's tri-ennial review of the 
impact of the DMCA's ban on circumvention of technological protection 
measures that control access to digital works. The Copyright Register
and Librarian of Congress can grant exemptions from the DMCA ban for
particular protected works if the Copyright Office finds that the
prohibition has resulted in, or is likely to result in, substantial
adverse impact on users' non-infringing uses in the next three years.

EFF asked the Copyright Office to grant DMCA exemptions to allow
consumers to:

    (1) Play copy-protected audio CDs that malfunction intentionally to 
prevent playback
    (2) View foreign region-coded DVD movies on US players
    (3) Fast-forward through unskippable commercials prior to movies on 
DVDs
    (4) Play and make full use of public domain motion pictures

The Copyright Office must make a decision about the requested exemptions
by October 27, 2003.

Links
For this release:
<http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/20030722_1201_pr.php>

EFF reply comments to U.S. Copyright Office (Adobe pdf file):
<http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2003/post-hearing/post10.pdf>

EFF further reply comments to U.S. Copyright Office (Adobe pdf file):
<http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2003/post-hearing/post11.pdf>

U.S Copyright Office comments page:
<http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2003/post-hearing/>

EFF December 2002 comments to U.S. Copyright Office:
<http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/20021218_eff_dmca_reply_comments.html>

EFF archive of comments to U.S. Copyright Office:
<http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/copyrightoffice/>