[free-sklyarov] Re: The "Petition" -- first specific thoughts on the focus...

[Will Doherty]

Perhaps we could word the petition to Free Dmitry
while also requesting review or repeal of DMCA...

Wanting his cake and eating it too,

Will

At 10:52 AM 7/20/2001 -0500, noring at olagrande.net wrote:
>Will replied:
>
> >Worded as you have it below,
> >the online petition idea is great
> >and EFF will definitely support it and
> >publicize it once we get
> >petition text that works for us
> >and the community of activists here
> >and elsewhere (which should not be difficult!).
> >
> >Anyone have the cycles to draft
> >something?  Feel free to crib from
> >the materials already on the EFF
> >website.
>
>The critical decision to make is the focus of this petition
>(if that's what we want to call it -- it may be a "position
>statement", or some such thing), and who, if any, it is
>directed to (we may decide not to focus it on any one
>organization or group -- thus for this it would not be a
>petition per se but something a little different.)
>
>I advise against focusing the statement against Adobe, nor
>to focus it solely on the Sklyarov matter, since the real
>underlying issue is the DMCA itself -- it should be an
>anti-DMCA statement. Obviously some wording can be included
>showing the undersigned are aghast by Adobe's and the Fed's
>actions, so it need not be blind to current events. (It is
>the current events that provides the eye-opening reasons
>why the DMCA is evil -- before Sklyarov it was mostly
>academic in most people's eyes -- now we have something
>real and human -- something people can relate to.)
>
>The reason for this is based on actual experience. Should
>the petition be directed at Adobe, and Adobe happens to have
>a change of heart, then the petition drive will immediately
>wither, and the real culprit, the DMCA, will remain. Likewise
>for Sklyarov -- if the charges are dropped and he is sent
>back to Russia, a petition focused solely on freeing Sklyarov
>will also falter, and the real culprit, the DMCA, will escape.
>The real goal is overturning the DMCA (and the EU equivalent
>which will take effect in a year or two), and if the DMCA is
>overturned (which will take time, well beyond the life of the
>anti-DMCA petition) then that is the real solution, the end
>goal -- we simply use the Sklyarov matter as the real world
>example to get people to sit up and listen.
>
>Now, if we are to focus it on any particular matter, I would
>focus it on Freeing Sklyarov. But without the focus truly
>being on the evils of the DMCA, it will be a feel good thing,
>but won't be worth the effort to execute -- it's then better
>to focus our efforts in other directions. We want the DMCA
>to be put on trial, not Sklyarov.
>
>Jon Noring