[free-sklyarov] Adobe Will Talk! July 23 Sklyarov Protest on Hold

[Derek Balling]

At 1:16 PM -0700 7/20/01, Will Doherty wrote:
>Adobe only agreed to meet with us if we would put
>the Monday, July 23 protest on hold.

Proof positive they fear the bad press.

>We would like to believe that Adobe will be
>negotiating in earnest and it is not EFF's
>style to engage in punitive protests when
>there is hope of a negotiated solution.

Have them meet you over the weekend. If that cuts into some Adobe 
executive's tee-time, that's his/her business.

>If some folks go ahead and protest and antagonize
>Adobe, that may escalate the situation,
>preclude Adobe withdrawing their complaint,
>and keep Dmitry in jail.

Unlikely. More likely is that they'll cave FASTER, because they've 
already shown you their cards, by showing how scared they are of the 
bad press that will come out against them.

>I think should treat this as a partial victory...
>we have succeeded in getting to the table in
>a big way with Adobe! Let's use that leverage
>to get some concrete action.

Adobe is incapable of concrete action. They can ONLY at this point 
offer "maybes" because they are not the deciding factor. The Feds are.

>  And if they don't
>budge, we can still protest. Those who offered
>the favors once hopefully did so because we
>have an important cause here, and will likely
>do so again.

Media folks don't like getting things put on their calendars and then 
rescheduled. You get worse turnout the "makeup day" than you would 
have on the original.

>I am glad to hear everyone's comments about
>this and look forward to working together to
>get Dmitry out of jail and end further unfair
>DMCA prosecutions.

I vote for "They've got a little less than 72 hours to figure 
something out, that's a lot of time to send a negotiator to the 
table, now, isn't it?"

Them making you wait until next week to talk is completely a stall 
tactic to avert the event scheduled because they know the bad PR in 
an already weak tech market will hurt them immeasurably.

D

-- 
+---------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| dredd at megacity.org  | "Conan! What is best in life?"          |
|  Derek J. Balling   | "To crush your enemies, see them        |
|                     |    driven before you, and to hear the   |
|                     |    lamentation of their women!"         |
+---------------------+-----------------------------------------+