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EFFector Online Volume 09 No. 06 May 17, 1996 editors@eff.org
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424
ACTION ALERT: Tell Legislators "No!" on Harmful NII Copyright Bill
House Members Demand an End to "Key Escrow" and Crypto Export Regs
NewsNybbles
Georgia Online Trademark Law Passed - CORRECTION
Upcoming Events
Quote of the Day
What YOU Can Do
Administrivia
* See http://www.eff.org/Alerts/ or ftp.eff.org, /pub/Alerts/ for more
nformation on current EFF activities and online activism alerts! *
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: ACTION ALERT: Tell Legislators "No!" on Harmful NII Copyright Bill
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[This is an action alert from the Digital Future Coalition, of which EFF
s a member organization.]
YOUR IMMEDIATE FAXES AND CALLS TO CONGRESS NEEDED TO
SLOW IMMINENT ACTION ON BADLY FLAWED CYBERSPACE COPYRIGHT BILL
Congressional contacts urgently needed NO LATER THAN Tuesday, May 21
Next Wednesday, May 22, the House Judiciary Committee's Intellectual
vote on approval of HR 2441, the "National Information Infrastructure
Act of 1995." Such approval, if given, would give an important boost to
of -- the movie, recording, and publishing industries (and other large
"content providers").
[This was already supposed to have happened this week, but action on the
bill has been postponed until the 22nd, and the alert's been updated
accordingly. This delay is lucky - the public gets another chance to
*** make it a copyright violation to simply browse the Net without a
license from copyright owners;
*** subject computer system operators -- such as on-line services and
networks at schools and libraries -- to potentially crippling liability
for the copyright violations of their users
*** cripple "distance education" efforts especially vital to rural
communities and the disabled; and
*** make it illegal to manufacture, import or distribute devices and
software (including computers and VCRs) needed by industry, schools
and libraries to make "fair use" of encrypted information - overruling
long-standing Supreme Court precedent.
WRITE AND CALL MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY INTELLECTUAL
SUBCOMMITTEE AND KEY FULL COMMITTEE MEMBERS NOW (list and
nformation below)!!! Tell them that:
** These issues, and the healthy development of the Net are of critical
concern to you, AND
** The May 22 meeting of the Intellectual Property Subcommittee is *too
soon*. Congress should take the time needed to understand and
adequately deal with *all* of the complicated issues raised by HR
2441 before it takes action.
For more information about the bill, the dangers it poses and the
constructive solutions offered, please see the DIGITAL FUTURE
COALITION Website at http://www.ari.net/dfc.
especially those Members who represent you, NO LATER THAN
Tuesday, May 21:
(all letters go to the address + Washington, DC 20515)
Member home city address phone fax
Carlos Moorhead Glendale, CA 2346 RHOB 225-4176 226-1279
F. James Sensenbrenner Brookfield, WI 2332 RHOB 225-5101 225-3190
George Gekas Harrisburg, PA 2410 RHOB 225-4315 225-8440
Howard Coble Asheboro, NC 403 CHOB 225-3065 225-8611
Elton Gallegly Oxnard, CA 2441 RHOB 225-5811 225-1100
Charles Canady Lakeland, FL 1222 LHOB 225-1252 225-2279
Bob Goodlatte Roanoke, NC 123 CHOB 225-5431 225-9681
Martin Hoke Fariview Park, OH 212 CHOB 225-5871 226-0994
Sonny Bono Palm Springs, CA 512 CHOB 225-5330 225-2961
John Conyers, Jr. Detroit, MI 2426 RHOB 225-5126 225-0072
Howard Berman Mission Hills, CA 2231 RHOB 225-4695 225-5279
Rick Boucher Abingdon, VA 2245 RHOB 225-3861 225-0442
Jerry Nadler New York, NY 109 CHOB 225-5635 225-6923
************************Suggested Letter******************************
[DATE]
The Honorable {name}
United States House of Representative
__#__ ____ Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Representative__________:
I am writing today to ask that you do everything in your power to
assure that no action is taken by the House Subcommittee on Intellectual
broad consensus can be reached on how to resolve a number of issues of
critical mportance to me and, in my view, the future of the Internet. As I
understand it, this bill in its current form, would seriously undermine the
ability of businesses, inventors, schools and librraies to make full use
of the Internet's great potential. Specifically, H.R. 2441 would :
* make it a copyright violation to simply browse the Net without a license
from copyright owners;
* subject computer system operators -- such as on-line services and
networks at schools and libraries -- to potentially crippling liability
for the copyright violations of their users, even if the operator has no
knowledge of such violations;
* thwart "distance education" efforts especially vital to rural communities
and the disabled; and
* make it illegal to manufacture, import or distribute devices and
libraries to make "fair use" of encrypted information by overruling
long-standing Supreme Court precedent.
Please don't allow the fears of major copyright owning industries to
cripple the Internet for the rest of America. I urge you and other
members of the House Judiciary Committee to take the time necessary to
understand and thoroughly debate all of the proposed amendments to H.R.
Thank you very much for helping make the most of new technology
and the Internet to bring the benefits of information technology to all
Americans, and especially those in [INSERT THE NAME OF THE DISTRICT/CITY].
Sincerely,
*************************Press Release***********************************
DIGITAL FUTURE COALITION
...promoting "Progress in Science and useful Arts"
Contact: Ephraim Cohen
Digital Future Coalition
(202) 628-6048
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Digital Future Coalition Says Amendments Needed
to Balance NII copyright protection act of 1995
Washington, DC, May 7, 1996 -- Calling for Congress to ensure that
cyberspace copyright law remains appropriately balanced between the
nterests of copyright holders and users of copyrighted material, a
Digital Future Coalition (DFC) spokesman today outlined a seven-point
Administration's proposal before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Vermont), S.1284 is based on recommendations made by the Working
Group on Intellectual Property Rights after two years of study of
consumers' use of copyrighted works on the Internet.
DFC Spokesman Robert L. Oakley, Professor of Intellectual Property
Law, Director of the Georgetown Center Law Library and Washington
Affairs Representative for the American Association of Law Libraries,
told the committee, " Congress now has a golden opportunity (and a
responsibility) to bring all of the critical precepts at the core of
copyright law into the digital future together and in balance."
DFC recommended several clarifications to S.1284 to ensure that the
nature and scope of the Fair Use Doctrine would be made clear in the
legislation, that there would not be overbroad restrictions on the
manufacture of devices and systems needed to make fair use rights
legislation and liability." It also offered new provisions on the Fair
Use and First Sale doctrines and recommended that Section 1201, regarding
"Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems" be stricken from the
bill.
To "better assure that the critical balance in the copyright law is
maintained," the DFC's seven-point proposal included new provisions to:
* Make clear that RAM and other "ephemeral" reproductions are
not "copies" within the meaning of the bill
* Clarify that the Fair Use doctrine applies to the transmission of
copyrighted works
* Maximize libraries' ability to preserve the nation's cultural and
scholarly heritage
* Affirm that the "First Sale" doctrine applies to digital copies
lawfully acquired by electronic transmission to the same extent
that it applies to physical analog copies
* Assure that the public is not deprived of advances in "distance
education" for elementary, secondary and higher education
* Adopt product-specific, industry developed solutions to
questions of reproduction of intellectual property, and abandon the
current anti-technology approach
* Focus criminal prosecutions only on actions with the intent to
infringe copyright, and study carefully the potential for
compromising network users' privacy imposed by "copyright
management information" systems
Oakley said the imbalance of copyright protection included in S.1284,
"not only threatens consumer interests and to inhibit or preclude the
emergence of new business models in cyberspace, but also promises to
Framers of the Constitution to grant Congress the power to award
copyrights over two centuries ago."
The Digital Future Coalition has a membership from both the public and
more than 2.2 million individuals, corporations and organizations with
technology industries, personal privacy in electronic communication, and
###
------------------------------
Subject: House Members Demand an End to "Key Escrow" and Crypto Export Regs
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.eff.org/
1550 Bryant St., Ste. 725
May 17, 1996 San Francisco CA 94103 USA
+1 415 436 9333 (v) * +1 415 436 9993 (f)
Contacts:
Lori Fena, Executive Dir. * lori@eff.org * +1 415 436 9333
Shari Steele, Counsel (legal queries) * ssteele@eff.org * +1 301 375 8856
John Gilmore, Co-Founder (technical queries) * gnu@eff.org
EFF commends a diverse group of twenty-seven U.S. Representatives
the Administration to abandon "key escrow" schemes and immediately
liberalize export controls on encryption programs and products. (A copy of
the letter is appended to this press release.)
The old Cold War model of regulating encryption as a "munition" is obsolete
n a world where electronic security and privacy affect everyone's daily
life.
that encryption "key escrow" systems fail to serve the interests of
ndividuals and businesses. Problems with "key escrow" include:
* inadequate security from unauthorized eavesdropping on personal &
commercial electronic communications;
* annual losses of billions of U.S. dollars to industrial espionage and
online fraud;
* harm to U.S. software providers, who cannot compete in
the global market for security products with the insecure "key
escrow" offerings the Administration has pushed; and
* overly-broad extensions to law enforcement and intelligence
surveillance authority, with alarming accountability loopholes
EFF believes that the deregulation of encryption is necessary to
facilitate private communications as well as the expansion of U.S.
commerce to online channels and international markets. Encryption is
the envelope for the digital age.
Several of the signatories, including Representatives Robert Goodlatte and
Anna Eshoo, have either introduced or expressed support for recent House
legislation which would ease the current restrictive controls on encryption
export, and which takes steps to prevent the creation of a mandatory
"key escrow" system (in which all users' private encryption keys are
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a non-profit civil liberties
organization working in the public interest to protect privacy, free
expression, and access to public resources and information in new media.
a day-long educational event in California's Silicon Valley in July. The
"Internet Security Day" will bring together industry leaders, members of
Congress, encryption experts and others to discuss the need to reform U.S.
encryption policy. Similar events, to be held throughout the U.S. and on
the Net, are also being planned. Other sponsors of the event include
Voters Telecommunications Watch (VTW), Americans for Tax Reform, AT&T,
Alliance, the Software Publishers Association, and several others.
The Golden Key Campaign: EFF and other civil liberties groups ask that a
key-and-envelope logo be displayed to show support for the essential
of many countries, and the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. Both the key
and the envelope symbolize historic means for communicating privately
and protecting personal and commercial information. Today, only encryption
tools can provide this privacy in the electronic world.
Web Sites for More Information
Golden Key Campaign: http://www.eff.org/goldkey.html
The US encryption policy debate: http://www.crypto.com
http://www.privacy.org/ipc
************************
TEXT OF LETTER FROM HOUSE MEMBERS TO PRESIDENT CLINTON
Congress of the United States Washington, DC 20515
May 15, 1996
The Honorable William J. Clinton
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to ask you not to proceed with your Administration's key
escrow encryption policy proposal and instead to immediately liberalize
export controls on non-key escrow encryption programs and products.
Many of us have sponsored H.R. 3011, the "Security and Freedom
Though Encryption (SAFE) Act" which would ensure the continued
ability of Americans to use and sell good encryption and would permit
the export of generally available software with encryption capabilities
and other such software and hardware under license when certain
conditions are met. We understand that the Administration has developed
a key escrow encryption proposal and is not at this time willing to ease
export restrictions on encryption programs and products which are widely
available from domestic and foreign companies and the Internet.
We share the concerns of a wide range of businesses and privacy interests
that a key escrow approach will not adequately address security concerns.
The ability of companies and individuals to ensure that the information they
to exploiting the potential of the Global Information Infrastructure. For
example, U.S. small businesses are beginning to harness the Internet to enter
foreign markets. The Internet in effect lowers the barriers to entry for
these companies. But they will not be able to rely on the Internet if their
nformation is not secure.
We also have serious concerns about the impact of the Administration's
belief the U.S. economic interests must be a primary consideration in
encryption policy discussions with other countries, the OECD, and in
other forums. It is not clear that this has been the case in the
A recent report entitled "A Study of the International Market for
Computer Software With Encryption" prepared by the U.S. Department of
Commerce and the National Security Agency indicated that U.S. companies
unless the U.S. relaxes out-of-date export controls, the U.S.
technology industry will lose $60 billion in revenues and 200,000 jobs by
the year 2000.
As Congress begins to consider H.R. 3011 we would greatly appreciate
knowing whether the Administration plans to publish a final rule
mplementing a key escrow encryption proposal or, alternatively, will
Sincerely,
Tom Campbell Bob Goodlatte
Anna Eshoo Eliot Engel
Zoe Lofgren Bob Barr
Carlos Moorhead Patricia Schroeder
Barney Frank Sam Gejdenson
Howard Coble Rick Boucher
Fred Heineman Sonny Bono
Vernon Ehlers Randy Cunningham
Charlie Norwood Randy Tate
Donald Manzullo Helen Chenoweth
Thomas Davis Roscoe Bartlett
Sam Farr Ken Calvert
Linda Smith Joseph Moakley
Lynn Woolsey
[end letter]
The text of Rep. Goodlatte's press release is available online at:
(along with a copy of the letter for convenient redistribution).
------------------------------
Subject: NewsNybbles
--------------------
* Georgia Online Trademark Law Passed - CORRECTION
Last issue ye editor mis-reported:
"A new bill to repeal this law has been introduced in the state
legislature. (No online text available as of yet)."
This should have read:
"A new bill to repeal this law has been drafted in the state
legislature. (No online text available as of yet)."
The Georgia legislature is in recess, and so this bill has not of course
been introduced yet, and only exists in draft form. (Incidentally this
also probably means that the text will not be available until the
legislature is back in session and the bill is actually introduced, in 1997.)
------------------------------
Upcoming Events
---------------
This schedule lists EFF events, and those we feel might be of interest to
our members. EFF events (those sponsored by us or featuring an EFF speaker)
are marked with a "*" instead of a "-" after the date. Simlarly, government
events (such as deadlines for comments on reports or testimony submission,
or conferences at which government representatives are speaking) are marked
ndicates a non-USA event. If it's a foreign EFF event with govt. people,
t'll be "*!+" instead of "-". You get the idea.
The latest version of the full EFF calendar is available from:
ftp: ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/calendar.eff
May 20-
21 ! Internet Privacy and Security Workshop, sponsored by the
Privacy and Security Working Group of he Federal Networking Council
and the Research Program on Communications Policy Center for
Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology; Haystack Observatory, Boston, MA.
Deadline for abstracts: April 14.
Contact: Internet Security and Privacy Workshop c/o Joseph
Reagle, Research Program on Communications Policy, MIT, One
Amherst St. (E40-218), Cambridge, MA 02139
Voice: +1 617 253 4138
Fax: +1 617 253 7326
Email: papers@rpcp.mit.edu
May 20-
22 - The Digital Revolution: Assessing the Impact on Business,
Education and Social Structures, and ASIS Annual Meeting; San
Diego, CA. Notification of intent to submit a paper must be
received by November 15, 1995. [NOTE! We've also seen the date
given as May 18-22, so you should ask what the correct dates are.]
Email: asis96@chestnut.lis.utk.edu
URL http://pepper.lis.utk.edu/call.html
May 23 - HotWired Electronic Frontiers Forum; online event, 7pm PST
"speak"ers will include Gary Chapman.
Users can participate via either WWW or telnet.
URL: http://www.hotwired.com/club/
Telnet: chat.wired.com 2428
May 28-
31 - Harvard Conference on the Internet and Society, Harvard
University, Cambridge, MA.
Contact: +1 617 432 1NET
Email: harvnet@harvard.edu
URL: http://www.harvnet.harvard.edu
May 29-
31 - 18th Annual Meeting of the Society for Scholarly Publishing:
Assessing the Reality of New Markets and New Media; Minneapolis
Hilton and Towers, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Contact: 303-422-3914
Fax: 303-422-8894
May 30-
31 - "Networked Information: Challenges and Solutions," sponsored by
CAUSE and the Coalition for Networked Information, University of
Pennsylvania, Phialdephia, PA.
Contact: +1 303 939 0315
------------------------------
Subject: Quote of the Day
-------------------------
"There are forces at work that will, if unresisted, take from us our
liberties. There always will be. But at least in the United States, our
- Phillip L. Dubois (attorney for Phil Zimmermann, author of the
controversial PGP encryption program), 1996
Find yourself wondering if your privacy and freedom of speech are safe
the rush to make us secure from ourselves that our government
Concerned that legislative efforts nominally to "protect children" will
actually censor all communications down to only content suitable for
the playground? Alarmed by commercial and religious organizations abusing
the judicial and legislative processes to stifle satire, dissent and
criticism?
Join EFF!
Even if you don't live in the U.S., the anti-Internet hysteria will soon
be visiting a legislative body near you. If it hasn't already.
------------------------------
Subject: What YOU Can Do
------------------------
* The Communications Decency Act & Other Censorship Legislation
The Communications Decency Act and similar legislation pose serious
threats to freedom of expression online, and to the livelihoods of system
operators. The legislation also undermines several crucial privacy
Business/industry persons concerned should alert their corporate govt.
affairs office and/or legal counsel. Everyone should write to their own
Representatives and Senators, letting them know that such abuses of
your free speech rights will be voted against by you in the next elections.
Join in the Blue Ribbon Campaign - see http://www.eff.org/blueribbon.html
Support the EFF Cyberspace Legal Defense Fund:
For more information on what you can do to help stop this and other
ftp.eff.org, /pub/Alerts/
for information to ask@eff.org.
censorious legislation is turning up at the US state and non-US
national levels. Don't let it sneak by you - or by the online activism
community. Without locals on the look out, it's very difficult for the
Net civil liberties community to keep track of what's happening locally
as well as globally.
* New Crypto-Privacy Legislation
Urge your Represenatitives to support the Pro-CODE crypto export bill
(and to fix the few remaining bugs in it). Join in the Golden Key Campaign!
See
http://www.eff.org/goldkey.html
http://www.privacy.org/ipc/
http://www.crypto.com/
for more info.
* Digital Telephony/Comms. Assistance to Law Enforcement Act
The FBI has been seeking both funding for the DT/CALEA wiretapping
To oppose the funding, write to your own Senators and Representatives
urging them to vote against any appropriations for wiretapping.
We are aware of no major action on this threat at present, but keep your
eyes peeled. It will be back.
* Anti-Terrorism Bills
Several bills threatening your privacy and free speech have been introduced
this very moment - however, this status may change. Urge your
Congresspersons to oppose these unconstitutional and Big-Brotherish
bills, which threaten freedom of association, free press, free speech,
and privacy. One such bill passed last week, stripped of most of the
more onerous provisions. Keep it up. Write to your legislators: No secret
trials and deportations, no expansion of wiretapping scope or authority,
no national or "smart-card" ID systems!
For more information on some of this legislation, see
* The Anti-Electronic Racketeering Act
This bill is unlikely to pass in any form, being very poorly drafted, and
flying colors [the jolly roger?] in Congress. It's better to be safe
than sorry. If you have a few moments to spare, writing to, faxing, or
calling your Congresspersons to urge opposition to this bill is a good
dea.
* Medical Privacy Legislation
Several bills relating to medical privacy issues are floating in Congress
enhance the medical privacy of citizens.
More information on this legislation will be available at
t appear there faster. :)
* Find Out Who Your Congresspersons Are
Writing letters to, faxing, and phoning your representatives in Congress
s one very important strategy of activism, and an essential way of
making sure YOUR voice is heard on vital issues.
EFF has lists of the Senate and House with contact information, as well
as lists of Congressional committees. (A House list is included in this
ssue of EFFector). These lists are available at:
ftp.eff.org, /pub/Activism/Congress_cmtes/
The full Senate and House lists are senate.list and hr.list, respectively.
Those not in the U.S. should seek out similar information about their
own legislative bodies. EFF will be happy to archive any such
nformation provided.
try contacting your local League of Women Voters, who maintain a great
that matches Zip Codes to Congressional districts with about 85%
accuracy at:
Computer Currents Interactive has provided Congress contact info, sorted
by who voted for and against the Communcations Decency Act:
* Join EFF!
You *know* privacy, freedom of speech and ability to make your voice heard
n government are important. You have probably participated in our online
campaigns and forums. Have you become a member of EFF yet? The best way to
opinions heard. EFF members are informed and are making a difference. Join
EFF today!
For EFF membership info, send queries to membership@eff.org, or send any
message to info@eff.org for basic EFF info, and a membership form.
------------------------------
Administrivia
=============
EFFector Online is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
San Francisco CA 94103 USA
+1 415 436 9333 (voice)
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
Membership & donations: membership@eff.org
Legal services: ssteele@eff.org
General EFF, legal, policy or online resources queries: ask@eff.org
Editor: Stanton McCandlish, Online Activist, Webmaster (mech@eff.org)
Assoc. Editor: Ryan Thornburg, Communications Intern (rmt@eff.org)
This newsletter is printed on 100% recycled electrons.
Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. Signed
articles do not necessarily represent the views of EFF. To reproduce
ually at will.
To subscribe to EFFector via email, send message body of "subscribe
effector-online" (without the "quotes") to listserv@eff.org, which will add
you to a subscription list for EFFector.
Back issues are available at:
ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/Newsletters/EFFector/
To get the latest issue, send any message to effector-reflector@eff.org (or
er@eff.org), and it will be mailed to you automagically. You can also get
the file "current" from the EFFector directory at the above sites at any
time for a copy of the current issue. HTML editions available at:
at EFFweb. HTML editions of the current issue sometimes take a day or
longer to prepare after issue of the ASCII text version.
------------------------------
End of EFFector Online v09 #06 Digest
*************************************
$$
