[free-sklyarov] What needs to be done.

[Jason DeRose]

Here's what I think needs to be done:


1) The protests all need to solidify. Pick the most
visible place (probably the downtown/government
center/business district of the city) and the most
visible time (probably around noon). We only have two
days left, and as long as the protests are uncertain,
our movement is uncertain.


2) Our tactics need to solidify.

   As this all has been planned on short notice, we
must take care that the protest not seem sloppy and
uninformed. Our goal is to raise public awareness. A
well written summary of the antisocial nature of the
DMCA is needed, for distribution at rallies and
posting on websites. If something suitable exists, we
should use it; if not, someone needs to write it (I'm
not an expert on the DMCA, but I'm certainly willing
to help edit). It's useful for all the protesters to
read such a summary too, so that there is some
coherency in our message.

   Some things I think should be emphasized in the
summary: the DMCA supposes that certain areas of human
knowledge (for example, copy protection systems) are
corporate property, and therefor that it should be
illegal for the public to understand how these systems
work, to share this information with others, or even
to link to this information on a website; the DMCA was
not designed for the protection of the public or of
artists and scholars, but for the protection of
corporate profit; the DMCA has destroyed rights in the
digital realm that Americans have long held in the
non-digital realm.

   The DMCA also supposes that the only way people
will create is under the mythology of corporatism and
profit. Many of the people on this list are Free
Software enthusiast and know this is not true. I have
the feeling that some similar things are happening in
other areas, like music, movies, literature, etcetera
(but I'm personally not familiar with them; does
anyone know know much about what is going on in these
areas?). I believe an account of these movements will
help our argument.

   There seems to be some fracturing re whether the
protest should focus on Adobe or the US Government and
the DMCA, but remember, corporations like Adobe paid
for the DMCA, and congress voted on it. And in this
line, we need to know exactly what Adobe's involvement
was in creating the DMCA, if they were involved.  It
would be good to have a list of all the corporations
who financially supported the DMCA, and of the
congress members, political parties, etcetera, who
took this money. Again, I'm not an expert in this sort
of research, but I'll help however I can.


3) We need to organize for long term resistance. As
long as Sklyarov is in jail, regular protest should be
held; moreover, if his arrest has sufficiently
inflamed the community, as long as the DMCA exists,
regular protest should be held.  Because of the
limited time for organization, this first protest may
not have dramatic impact on the public--but there is
always the following Monday, and the Monday after
that...

   If nothing else, this protest will allow those
concerned about this to meet others likewise
concerned, to build a network for further protest.

-Jason DeRose


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