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Yay! Dmitry Sklyarov cleared
Saturday, 21 December 2002 02:09 pmIn the middle of 2001 software giant Adobe got the FBI to arrest Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov when he visited USA to attend a conference on security and encryption. The arrest was made under the new, disreputable DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act).
Under Russian law, software users' rights are better protected than in USA. In Russia it is required that users be able to back up their data so that it can still be used in the event of failure of your main computer. Adobe's ebook doesn't allow this. Skylarov, working for Elcomsoft, made a program which allowed users that safeguard, though users still need their password to access the ebook. This required unravelling the ebook encryption. And that is where the insane DMCA came in. Under that fruitcake law people who make tools that can be used for illegal purposes are liable themselves to criminal charges. The trouble is anything can be used for illegal purposes.
Well, the US courts found Dmitry Skylarov innocent of the charges. Thank good sense!
Don't use Adobe products. They are not your friend.
Under Russian law, software users' rights are better protected than in USA. In Russia it is required that users be able to back up their data so that it can still be used in the event of failure of your main computer. Adobe's ebook doesn't allow this. Skylarov, working for Elcomsoft, made a program which allowed users that safeguard, though users still need their password to access the ebook. This required unravelling the ebook encryption. And that is where the insane DMCA came in. Under that fruitcake law people who make tools that can be used for illegal purposes are liable themselves to criminal charges. The trouble is anything can be used for illegal purposes.
Well, the US courts found Dmitry Skylarov innocent of the charges. Thank good sense!
Don't use Adobe products. They are not your friend.