[free-sklyarov] Time of Adobe/EFF meeting?

[Julian T. J. Midgley]

> On Sun, 22 Jul 2001, Will Doherty wrote:

> Hey Paul,
> My take on our conversation was that it consisted of
> a lot more than just "Trust me".
>
> If anyone else would like to chat, I am available,
> as many of you already know since I'm pretty sure
> I've spoken and/or emailed with dozens of you at
> this point.

As an independent observer, with no affiliation to the EFF other than that
I have made the odd donation in the past, it seems to me that there is
altogether too much paranoia surrounding the recent discussions of their
actions.

It does the movement no great harm for the EFF to agree to ask for the
protests to be delayed in order to be allowed to hold a meeting with
Adobe.  As we have seen, they have publically requested a delay (thus
sticking to their end of the bargain), without this actually having
significant effect on the demonstrations themselves.  If this is what is
necessary in order to be able to sit down at a table with Adobe then it
(the request, unheeded, for a delay) is a small price to pay for the
opportunity to engage in negotiations which may assist in freeing Dmitry.

As regards the 'secrecy' surrounding their communications with Adobe, I
don't believe we have any reason to be afraid that the EFF have suddenly
caved in and joined with the enemy (or anything like that).  We have
plenty of evidence that the EFF believe strongly in the cause they are
fighting, and they are quite clearly one of the most effective weapons in
the fight against the DMCA.  Their past actions make this abundantly
clear.

It would not be in the EFF's interests to agree to any form of gagging
order, but if Adobe were to say, at the end of the meeting, "we can at
this stage make only a statement to a certain limited effect, but after
the meeting we will hold further internal discussions with the aim of
being able to do X on such and such a date, and we would prefer it if you
didn't mention X until that date", then the EFF might reasonably, as a
matter of good faith, not mention X until the date concerned (when they
would be free to mention it regardless of whether Adobe actually got round
to doing it or not).

Negotiations can be a delicate business, and their smooth progress is not
always best assured by immediate public disclosure of everything that has
been said.

If you can find any evidence that the EFF has caved in to unreasonable
corporate demands in the past, or ever given up the causes they set out to
fight for, then you might have reason to doubt their motives now.

I have every confidence that the EFF will do what is right, and look
forward to hearing the results of the meeting later today.

Julian Midgley

-- 
Julian T. J. Midgley                    http://www.xenoclast.org
Cambridge, England.                       PGP Key ID: 0xBCC7863F