[free-sklyarov] RE: Protest Sites (was: Differences Between Seattle and Chicago)

[Eric Rachner]

	(cc'ing national list since I feel this to be of general
relevance.)

	To be clear, Adobe has not chosen to cooperate, they have only
chosen to discuss the possibility of cooperation.  And I reiterate that
our goal is not to engage in conversation with Adobe, it is to free
Dmitry and defeat the DMCA.
	As far as Adobe is concerned, the means to our ends are to
persuade Adobe to drop their support of this case, and to demonstrate to
other stakeholders in the Digital Rights Management industry that the
public will not tolerate their invocation of the DMCA.
	Conversation alone will not persuade them, nor will it
demonstrate anything to Adobe's peers in the DRM business.  We must keep
the proverbial big stick at hand when speaking to Adobe.

	Also, I think Chicago's decision to protest at an FBI facility
is meaningless.  Compare it to arguing for drug legalization with a
police officer.  Unless you can persuade the officer to quit her job in
protest of her mandatory duties, you've wasted your time.  So it is with
the FBI in this case.  (I do recognize that protesting versus a law
enforcement agency is appropriate when they miscarry their duties, but
if that applies in this case, it is a minor issue.)

	The best locations at which to protest are Adobe offices, and US
Attorney's offices, since they control the case at this point.
Considering that Adobe is willing to talk with the EFF, but the US
Attorneys are not, we should plan to protest at a local US Attorney's
office, and be prepared to take the protest to Adobe in the event that
talks are unproductive.
	Productive means yielding a written committment from Adobe to
drop support of the case and issue a press release in report of having
done so.  Anything short of that is just conversation, and should result
in public protest of Adobe's role in this case.

	I reiterate that Adobe has no incentive to cooperate if we are
not ready to criticize them publicly, boycott their products, undermine
support of their technology, and donate our assistance to free
alternatives.

	As to the US Attorney's Office, we must demnonstrate to their
leadership and administration that they will be accountable for their
actions with respect to the DMCA.

	- Eric

-----Original Message-----
From: seattle-sklyarov-admin at woozle.org
[mailto:seattle-sklyarov-admin at woozle.org] On Behalf Of william henry
frenchu
Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2001 1:24 PM
To: seattle-sklyarov at woozle.org
Subject: [Seattle-Sklyarov] Differences Between Seattle and Chicago


>From what I've read of the Chicago Protest's, there is one key 
>difference
between what they plan to do and what we plan to do. Namely, they are
protesting outside of an FBI building not an Adobe one. While it makes
sense for their protest against the DMCA and to free Sklyarov continue
at its current location regardless of Adobe's current position, does it
really make all that much sense for our protest at Adobe to carry on
even if they are in talks with the EFF?

Currently Adobe is attempting to cooperate even if they are choosing to
wait u ntil the last minute to do so. It seems to me that any protest we
make should remain at Gasworks unless Adobe backs out of the talks.
Otherwise we may as well just pick a random Post Office or some other
government building and protest there instead. It makes about as much
sense.

Bill Frenchu



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