<nettime> -*- DMITRY SKLYAROV MUST BE FREED -*-

["Mr. Bad" <mr.bad@pigdog.org>]

         +-------------------------------------------------+
                         FREE DMITRY SKLYAROV
                            CALL TO ACTION
                         END THE DMCA RAMPAGE
         +-------------------------------------------------+

                       Monday, July 23rd, 2001
                       Protests to FREE DMITRY
             Franchises Available In Your Town Or Village
          
Dmitry Sklyarov is a Russian programmer who gave a presentation at Def
Con in Las Vegas about weaknesses in the security system of the Adobe
eBook platform. Dmitry is also the author of a software utility that
allows legitimate purchasers of eBooks to exercise their fair use
rights (such as reading eBooks on a Linux machine) which are impeded
by the eBook security system.

Adobe Systems, makers of the eBook, filed a complaint with the FBI
about Dmitry under the criminal section of the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA). Based on this complaint, the FBI arrested Dmitry
in Las Vegas on July 16th, 2001, where he has been held without bail
and out of contact with his family in Russia.

There's an excellent collection of documents on Dmitry, including a
boyish photo where you just want to pinch his little Russian cheek,
here:

        http://www.planetebook.com/mainpage.asp?webpageid=170

How long is a guy like that going to last in Federal prison? Jesus.

Oh, there's more info on the case here:

        http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/US_v_Sklyarov/20010718_eff_sklyarov_statement.html

And an excellent mailing list here:

        http://zork.net/mailman/listinfo/free-sklyarov/

A broad coalition of cypherpunks, hackers, Free Software enthusiasts,
and other supporters of information freedom are joining under the
umbrella of the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) in a protest on
Monday, July 23rd. Demonstrations will be held in most North American
Cities, as well as Moscow.

In the San Francisco Bay Area marchers will picket and cause a ruckus
in front of Adobe System's world headquarters to demand that they
immediately drop their complaint and work for the release of Dmitry
Sklyarov. (The announcement follows this message.)

In addition, there are people concerned with information freedom all
over the world organizing demonstrations at Adobe Systems offices, US
embassies, and US Federal buildings to protest Dmitry's arrest. You
can find out more here:

        http://www.eff.org/Alerts/

It's probably worth noting that US President George Bush is touring
Europe right now. Maybe an event coinciding with his presence in your
city...?

Anyways, if you're at all interested, please come. Please feel free to
pass this information on to others who may be concerned.

Free Dmitry,

~Mr. Bad

---8<---
Free Dmitry                                           Free Dmitry
                         MARCH ON ADOBE
Free Dmitry                                           Free Dmitry

Monday, July 23, 2001, 11AM-1PM
Downtown San Jose, California, USA

Please join programmers and freedom lovers in San Jose on Monday to
protest the arrest of Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov.  At the
request of Adobe Systems of San Jose, Dmitry was arrested by the
FBI in Las Vegas on July 16th.

"The U.S. government for the first time is prosecuting a programmer
for building a tool that may be used for many purposes, including
those that legitimate purchasers need in order to exercise their
fair use rights," said Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney
Robin Gross.

Demonstrations will be held worldwide.  For information on Dmitri's
case and other "Free Dmitry" events, please visit the Electronic
Frontier Foundation web site at http://eff.org/Alerts/

MEET AT THE SNAKE: We will meet in downtown San Jose at the snake
sculpture, Quetzalcoatl, at the south end of Cesar Chavez Park.
Cesar Chavez Park is at the corner of South Market St. and West
San Carlos St., across San Carlos from the Hyatt St. Claire Hotel.
> From the snake we will march the two blocks to Adobe together.

> From VTA light rail: Take the Santa Teresa/Baypointe line to the
Convention Center stop.  Trains run approximately every 10 minutes.
The convention center is on the south side of the street; walk 1/2
block east on W. San Carlos St. to the snake.

> From Caltrain: Transfer from Caltrain to the Santa Teresa/Baypointe
light rail line at the Tamien station.

VTA light rail schedules: http://www.vta.org/schedules/SC_901.html

Driving: Downtown San Jose is accessible from US
101, Interstate 280, and California 87.  
http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?addr=S+Market+St+and+W+San+Carlos+St
&csz=San+Jose%2C+CA

Parking: An inexpensive parking garage is available at the San Jose
Convention Center, across San Carlos.  The entrance is from Almaden
Blvd., one block west.

WHAT TO BRING
Please bring a sign or a U.S. or Russian flag, and a cell phone if
you have one.  Keep signs simple (4 words is ideal) so that they
are easy to read for people passing by.  "Adobe: drop the charges"
and "Free Dmitry" are examples.

Free event T-shirts to the first 50 attendees.

LOCAL EVENT CONTACT
Don Marti <dmarti@zgp.org> 650-962-9601 or 650-743-8035 (cell)

WORLDWIDE CONTACT
Will Doherty, EFF Online Activist <help-sklyarv@eff.org>
+1 415 436-9333 x111
---8<---

-- 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Mr. Bad <mr.bad@pigdog.org> | Pigdog Journal | http://pigdog.org/ 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                "Fucken FREE DMITRY!" -- Ben Franklin
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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