[free-sklyarov] Computer Book Publisher Says "Free Dmitry" (fwd)

[Len Sassaman]

[No Starch is publishing my upcoming book on email security. Just
got this announcement. --Len.]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2001 10:11:28 -0700
From: Amanda Staab <amanda at nostarch.com>
To: No Starch News <amanda at nostarch.com>
Subject: Computer Book Publisher Says "Free Dmitry"

*********************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*********************

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - No Starch Press, Inc.'s publisher William Pollock calls
for publishers to cast aside proprietary electronic book formats. The lette=
r
follows:

I am the publisher and owner of No Starch Press, Inc., a book publishing
company. No Starch Press has published several best-selling books, includin=
g
STEAL THIS COMPUTER BOOK, THE BOOK OF JAVASCRIPT, and the ASTRONOMER'S
COMPUTER COMPANION.

As a publisher, I believe that readers have certain important fair-use
rights that pertain to both electronic and printed books that they should b=
e
able to exercise without asking our permission. We control certain rights t=
o
our books that are protected by law, and we encourage our customers' contro=
l
of certain rights as readers.

Readers of electronic books should be able to read their electronic books
just as they read their printed books - wherever and whenever they please -
and they should be able to share their electronic books with others. They
should also have the right to read their electronic books with a Braille
terminal or text-to-speech device, and to read them on more than one
computer.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was designed to protect our
rights as publishers in the electronic arena, but it fails to preserve
copyright law's historic ability to balance the interests of publishers wit=
h
those of readers. The FBI's arrest of Dmitry Sklyarov, a Russian citizen wh=
o
helped to create the Advanced eBook Processor for his company, Elcomsoft,
was an overblown and misguided test of the DMCA. While I am certainly
opposed to the illegal copying and sale of books, I think the government
should spend more time prosecuting the real offenders: The people and
companies who make and sell illegal copies of books, not the software tool
developers.

We do not publish our books in proprietary eBook formats because these
formats limit the reader's experience and put unnecessary restraints on
information. We have, however, released several of our titles under various
copyleft-type licenses, and will continue to do so. The eBook format is
flawed because it denies some basic rights to readers that they
automatically have when they buy a printed book.

As an industry we have a problem to solve regarding the electronic delivery
of books, and I am eager to find a solution that works for everyone
involved, including publishers, authors, and readers. By punishing Dmitry,
our government is making it clear that they are not interested in readers'
rights.

I encourage publishers not to use proprietary electronic book formats. We
have a responsibility as publishers to continue to maintain and defend the
rights of readers to read and enjoy their books whenever and wherever they
choose, and that responsibility must not be taken lightly.

William Pollock, Publisher
No Starch Press, Inc.

ABOUT NO STARCH PRESS
Founded in San Francisco in 1994, No Starch Press (www.nostarch.com)
publishes computer books that make a difference on topics like Open Source,
Web development, robotics, and computer security.

Media Contact: Amanda Staab, 415/863-9900, amanda at nostarch.com, 555 De Haro
Street, Suite 250, San Francisco, CA 94107

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