[free-sklyarov] Press-conference in Moscow, 21 of June, 2001. Report.

[Ilya V. Vasilyev]

Hi, All!

First of all, excuse my bad English.
As for now, we have no professional
interpreters.  AFAIK, no professional
interpreter can work as much, as I had
to do the last three days.  And I'm
just a Russian citizen.  Its lucky for
everyone, that I know a little bit
English (because of computer study)
-- we can communicate.

There were 10 people on press-conference:
the owners of the hall, four activists,
three "free journalists" and two people,
who said, that also can help in oranizing
action.  The place of the conference was
symbolic -- "round table" in the bookstore.

The majority of people get known about
press-conference a day before or today
morning, but postpone their deeds and
came.  It was hard to separate whats
happening to press-conference and meeting
of activists, because journalists came
asyncronious.  The owners of the hall
also have their deeds, we meet with them
at the beginning and at the end of the
conference.

American journalist interested in Adobe,
but, when we declared that Adobe position
is unknown until their negotiation with
EFF, the topic was unjust arrest of Dmitry
Sklyarov and DMCA law.

One of the activists made suggestion, that
Adobe is just playing "the second hand" of
FBI, that is benifit from creation of DMCA
precedent.  He noted not good situation, that
Adobe have found itself and expressed the
opinion, that Adobe was specially selected,
because Adobe problems aren't a problems
of industry -- if protest actions will be
against Microsoft or IBM, this will make
a significant strike to the States themselves.

DMCA law, factually, ban exploreing of
protected programs, given to U.S. secret
service to put impunity "holes", "trojans"
and make "backdoors".  If we permit Dmitry
case to make precedent, the computer, you
bought, is on FBI service, not your.  Moreover,
FBI will put into prison everyone, who will
dare to publish the prove of "hole" presence,
no matter of his citizenship or from what
country he is.

I told, that FBI words that Advanced eBook
Processor copyright belongs to Dmitry mustn't
be taken on trust.  Willing people can
download AEBPR from the site:

   www.elcomsoft.com/aebpr.html

and assure, that copyright, both in
documentation and in the program, belongs
to ElcomSoft company.  Only those programs
were "distributed", more accurate -- were
put on ElcomSoft web site, during Dmitry
visit in US.

This fact was first time published on
the described press-conference in Moscow.

Dmitry is pursued by criminal article,
because he got "financial gain" from
selling the program.  Ah!  And here FBI
makes unpardonable inaccuracy.  The profit
from sales took ElcomSoft company, Dmitry
is her ordinary employer, on salary.

If FBI willn't discontinue the case, it
for sure must convert it into civil,
non-criminal.  May be, even not against
Dmitry, but against ElcomSoft.  The company
against company, whose activity the first
company count illegal.

Charges, that Dmitry imported in US
ElcomSoft product with primary use to take
protection off from protected products,
is false twice.  Programs, that were
"imported" by Dmitry, were for the only
aim -- demonstration that all, that is
told about eBook "protection", differs
from reality.  He flyed to the conference
only because of that -- to make
computer security speach, not for taken
protection from God know what books.
Charge him with this one can no more,
that detective story designer in murder.

Dmitry commit no crime on the US territory
neighter by US law, nor by Russian.  In
Russia he behave himself lawfully.  One can
arrest him in US no more, than arrest foregner
in Moscow, who smoke marijuana sigarette in
Amsterdam (where it is legal) a year before.
Even USSR don't put into jail americans, that
said bad words about communists in US -- that
is illegal by Soviet laws.

There are too many such inaccuracies and
stiffnesses in the case against Dmitry.
Factually, Americans must chose now -- to
live in police state, when every toaster,
bought on your money will execute secret
FBI instructions, or help to free Dmitry.

The most sad for us is that DMCA law
begin its terror from citizens of other
countries, becoming the problem of
worldwide scale.

About protest actions in Moscow.

Being listening to EFF opinion, that
advice to postpone street actions of
protest until Adobe position will be
clear on negotiating with EFF on
Monday, 23 of June, we desided.

We'll continue preparation the protest
action in the capital of Russia, but
hold it until EFF desision.

- - -
Ilya V. Vasilyev
Civil Hackers' School
Moscow Center +7(095)162-4767
http://server23.net/user/ath/