[free-sklyarov] [Fwd: Rob McGee: ADA? Disabilities, discrimination]

Seth David Schoen schoen at loyalty.org
Thu Jul 26 13:26:19 PDT 2001


I was asked to forward this to the list.  My view is that there is at
the very least an issue with the use of eBook software in or by
government agencies; however, the Federal government would probably
not use the format anyway.

I have asked people to write to the National Federation for the Blind
(see "http://www.blind.org/") concerning Adobe's view (and the view
of most of the DRM world) that it's OK for publishers to prevent
third-party software from reading eBooks.  I have not heard that
anybody has yet contacted them.

----- Forwarded message from Rob McGee <rob0 at runbox.no.junk (drop the junk!)> -----

Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 15:18:01 -0500
From: Rob McGee <rob0 at runbox.no.junk (drop the junk!)>
Subject: ADA? Disabilities, discrimination

[Request to forward this to free-sklyarov snipped.]

I've seen numerous mentions of the fact that Adobe eBooks are not
accessible to the blind using their text-to-speech readers. But has
anyone checked on the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) as a
possible way to fight this?

IANAL, just one of their many victims. What I have read about ADA is
that it applies to public entities or those who receive gov't funds. In
my mind, which is far more radical[1] than most who post on the list,
Adobe became a public agency by exercising their DMCA prosecutorial
power. At the least, they are receiving gov't services (FBI enforcement
of DMCA) to assist them in maintaining the artifically-inflated value
of their eBook product line.

Legally speaking I suppose that this would be a weak argument, because
IIRC from Civics class (when I was an inmate in the USA's mandatory
gov't-controlled child indoctrination centers) Congress can supercede
itself at any time with any new law, and the newer law prevails.

Still, it's an interesting angle for our side in at least two ways. In
talking to members of Congress, it might be influential because in their
stupid zeal in passing DMCA, they probably had no idea that they were
weakening ADA. It certainly wasn't their intent.

Second, it might help us mobilize a powerful and sympathetic lobby in
support of our cause. Dmitri was/is a hero in providing equal access to
eBooks against the greed of the IP lawyers.

I want to reiterate what others have said: Adobe is not out of this by
virtue of their joint statement with EFF. This whole mess was and is all
to protect their snake-oil encryption, which was and is totally
indefensible. They didn't admit to wrongdoing, and they didn't back down
in their support of totalitarianism. Was there any money (funds for
Dmitri's defense) or effort on the part of their legal dep't (to try to
free Dmitri) behind their empty press release?

No, I'll bet it was only words. Carefully chosen words in an attempt to
minimize the devastation caused by their actions. We owe it to Dmitri
and to ourselves to continue our efforts to maximize the devastation.
Bill and Pablos, the work of boycottadobe.com is far from over while
Dmitri is confined with the other victims of US totalitarianism (those
whom you called "murderers and rapists.")

I know I'm drifting from the subject, and I'm sorry, but since this will
probably be my only post to the list I am lumping it all together. Those
of you who wrote about bringing Oksana here: that's insane! The USA is a
place where thugs with guns can (and routinely do) jail people they
don't like. If I went to town today and spoke to one of the thugs on the
street, telling him the kind of things I'm writing in this e-mail, you
can bet that I would spend the weekend in jail. And the only murderers
and rapists who would scare me would be the ones with the keys.

Bye all, and thanks for reading. And thanks also to those of you who are
working to try to let Dmitri return home to his family.

    Rob - /dev/rob0


[1] My radicalism came from the experience of oppression in the USA.
    Those of you who aren't as obviously different as I am probably have
    not yet experienced it. Yeah, conformity is freedom ... and freedom
    is slavery, war is peace, and ignorance is strength.

----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
Seth David Schoen <schoen at loyalty.org> | Its really terrible when FBI arrested
Temp.  http://www.loyalty.org/~schoen/ | hacker, who visited USA with peacefull
down:  http://www.loyalty.org/   (CAF) | mission -- to share his knowledge with
     http://www.freesklyarov.org/      | american nation.  (Ilya V. Vasilyev)




More information about the Free-sklyarov mailing list