To: nylug-talk@nylug.org, nylug-announce@nylug.org
Subject: [nylug-talk] Dr. Eben Moglin, Columbia Law School, on DVD & OpenSource
From: Jim Gleason <jgleason@electriclichen.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 00:52:05 -0800 (PST)
Reply-To: Jim Gleason <jgleason@electriclichen.com>
Sender: owner-nylug-talk@electriclichen.com
*** New York Linux Users Group February Meeting ***
- NYLUG.org -
Dr. Eben Moglin, Columbia Law Professor and General
Counsel to the Free Software Foundation, discusses
DVD and OpenSource.
Wed. 2/16/00
6:00-7:40pm
IBM Building
590 Madison Avenue at 57th Street
Check in at lobby for badge and room number.
*note* This meeting starts one half hour earlier than usual.
---------------------------- The Deal -------------------------------------
Until recently, the only computers on which a person could play DVD movies
were Macintosh and Windows systems. Deeming the Linux market to be to small,
the DVD consortium did not release any documentation for vendors to create
products. In order to get his Linux machine to play DVD, Jon Johansson, a 16
year old in Norway, reversed engineered the CSS algorithm which encrypts DVD
content. Police staged a surprise raid on his home, confiscated computer and
telephone equipment, arrested both Jon and his father and according to
Johansson, subjected them to questioning for approximately 6-7 hours
apparently without a lawyer. It is reported that the charges carry fines
and prison terms of up to two years.
Since then, hundreds of defendants from around the world have been named in
a lawsuit by the DVD Copy Control Association, a non-profit organization
which represents the motion picture industry. The lawsuits aim to stop
people from carrying or even linking to websites that carry the
de-encryption code.
CNN reports that it took years for the movie industry to agree to this
encryption standard and that Johansson's code fosters piracy. Opendvd.org
claims the code is not against the law because the DMCA (Digital Millenium
Copyright Act) clearly states that "reverse-engineering on the basis of
interoperability" is legal.
Join us on Wednesday night, 2/16, when Dr. Eben Moglin discusses DVD and
Open Souce. Dr. Moglin is a professor at Columbia Law School specializing in
legal history and computer law and has been a designer and implementer of
advanced computer languages at I.B.M. He received his J.D. and PH.D. from
Yale University and serves without fee as general counsel to the Free
Software Foundation. His publications and other information can be found on
his homepage at http://emoglen.law.columbia.edu
Note that Dr. Moglin must leave at 7:40pm, so let's all please focus our
questions and make efficient use of his time.
-----------------
Stand-by Marchers
NYLUG.org is receiving sign-ups for people who can make themselves available
on short-notice to march peacefully in front of the courthouse should the
MPAA choose New York City as a jurisdiction for its next hearing. If you
want to become a stand-by marcher, please send me email at: jim@valinux.com.
-------------------------------
After the Meeting... Stammtisch
Join us around 8:00pm or so at the Typhoon Brewery and Restaurant located
at 22 East 54th Street between Madsion and 5th Aves.
--------------
Swag Give-Away
Mucho leftovers from LinuxWorld Expo. Come and get 'em.
----------------------------------
Where & When is the NYLUG Meeting?
With the generous support of IBM, all regular NY-LUG meetings are held at
the main IBM building at 590 Madison Avenue at 57th Street in mid-town
Manhattan every third Wednesday of the month starting at 6:30pm. All
meetings are free and open to the public.
-------------
Mailing Lists
* nylug-talk
Talk Mailing List for people to contribute and resolve each other's
technical problems.
* nylug-announce
Announce Mailing List for speaker and installfest announcements.
To post a message to the talk mailing list, address it to
nylug-talk@nylug.org
-------------
List Archives
Thanks to Eric Berg, we now have sortable archives from 1999 and in new
millenium. Check it out at: www.nylug.org
--------
Contacts
Jim Gleason, President, jgleason@nylug.com
Eric Berg, Vice President, eberg@nylug.org
--------------
What is Linux?
http://www.nylug.org/about_linux.html
------------------
What is NYLUG.org?
NYLUG (www.nylug.org) is New York's Linux Users Group supporting all
things Linux and Open Source in the New York metro area. Please feel
free to contact me if you have any questions about the NYLUG.org.
--------------
Special Thanks
Many thanks go out to Peter Norton and Barry Hughes, NYLUG's lead
engineers at LinuxWorld Expo, and all of the other NYLUGGERS who
volunteered. It was a huge success. Good job everybody!
---------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Gleason VA Linux Systems
email: jim@valinux.com http://www.valinux.com
phone: 212-858-7684 President, New York Linux Users Group
fax: 212-858-7685 http://www.nylug.org
---------------------------------------------------------------
To: nylug-talk@nylug.org
Subject: [nylug-talk] just spoke with Eben Moglen who's speaking at tonight's meeting
From: Jim Gleason <jgleason@electriclichen.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 09:52:03 -0800 (PST)
Reply-To: Jim Gleason <jgleason@electriclichen.com>
Sender: owner-nylug-talk@electriclichen.com
Just got off the phone with Eben Moglen, Columbia University Law and
General Council to the Free Software Foundation, and there is no doubt in
my mind that we will win the DVD case. I am beyond fired up.
Dr. Moglen confirms that Universal Studios strategy of obtaining a fast
preliminary injunction against the three California websites in New York
City, is a common tactic in intellectual property cases.
The three California defendants could only talk by phone to Judge Kaplan
who subsequently ruled that they must remove DeCSS code from their
websites.
The worst thing that Disney did was arrest Jon Johansen - the 16 year old
in Norway who wrote code that would allow his linux machine to play DVD
disks - because this can only generate bad publicity for Disney products.
ATTENTION STAND-BY MARCHERS!
The call is imminent and will be sudden. We have approximately 30 people
signed up. Please send me email if you can make yourself available with
short notice to stage a peaceful march in front of the courthouse if/when
the DVD-CCA holds a hearing in New York City. Please put I WANT TO BE A
STANDBY MARCHER in all caps in the subject line.
To get alerts for upcoming injunctions, anyone can subscribe the the
Electronic Frontier Foundation alert list:
http://www.eff.org/signup.html
Please note that Tonight's meeting starts earlier than usual - 6pm.
Since Dr. Moglen has only a short amount of time, we must stay focused and
keep our opinions out of the meeting. No ranting will be allowed.
I really look forward to seeing you tonight!
- Jim
----------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Gleason VA Linux Systems
email: jim@valinux.com http://www.valinux.com
phone: 212-858-7684 Pres. New York Linux Users Group
fax: 212-858-7685 http://www.nylug.org
----------------------------------------------------------------
On Sun, 13 Feb 2000, Jim Gleason wrote:
>
> Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 00:52:05 -0800 (PST)
> From: Jim Gleason <jgleason@electriclichen.com>
> To: nylug-talk@nylug.org, nylug-announce@nylug.org
> Subject: [nylug-announce] Dr. Eben Moglen, Columbia Law School, on DVD &
OpenSource
>
> *** New York Linux Users Group February Meeting ***
>
> - NYLUG.org -
>
> Dr. Eben Moglen, Columbia Law Professor and General
> Counsel to the Free Software Foundation, discusses
> DVD and OpenSource.
>
> Wed. 2/16/00
> 6:00-7:40pm
> IBM Building
> 590 Madison Avenue at 57th Street
> Check in at lobby for badge and room number.
>
> *note* This meeting starts one half hour earlier than usual.
>
> ---------------------------- The Deal -------------------------------------
>
> Until recently, the only computers on which a person could play DVD movies
> were Macintosh and Windows systems. Deeming the Linux market to be to small,
> the DVD consortium did not release any documentation for vendors to create
> products. In order to get his Linux machine to play DVD, Jon Johansson, a 16
> year old in Norway, reversed engineered the CSS algorithm which encrypts DVD
> content. Police staged a surprise raid on his home, confiscated computer and
> telephone equipment, arrested both Jon and his father and according to
> Johansson, subjected them to questioning for approximately 6-7 hours
> apparently without a lawyer. It is reported that the charges carry fines
> and prison terms of up to two years.
>
> Since then, hundreds of defendants from around the world have been named in
> a lawsuit by the DVD Copy Control Association, a non-profit organization
> which represents the motion picture industry. The lawsuits aim to stop
> people from carrying or even linking to websites that carry the
> de-encryption code.
>
> CNN reports that it took years for the movie industry to agree to this
> encryption standard and that Johansson's code fosters piracy. Opendvd.org
> claims the code is not against the law because the DMCA (Digital Millenium
> Copyright Act) clearly states that "reverse-engineering on the basis of
> interoperability" is legal.
>
> Join us on Wednesday night, 2/16, when Dr. Eben Moglin discusses DVD and
> Open Souce. Dr. Moglen is a professor at Columbia Law School
> specializing in
> legal history and computer law and has been a designer and implementer of
> advanced computer languages at I.B.M. He received his J.D. and PH.D. from
> Yale University and serves without fee as general counsel to the Free
> Software Foundation. His publications and other information can be found on
> his homepage at http://emoglen.law.columbia.edu
>
> Note that Dr. Moglen must leave at 7:40pm, so let's all please focus our
> questions and make efficient use of his time.
>
> -----------------
> Stand-by Marchers
> NYLUG.org is receiving sign-ups for people who can make themselves available
> on short-notice to march peacefully in front of the courthouse should the
> MPAA choose New York City as a jurisdiction for its next hearing. If you
> want to become a stand-by marcher, please send me email at: jim@valinux.com.
>
> -------------------------------
> After the Meeting... Stammtisch
>
> Join us around 8:00pm or so at the Typhoon Brewery and Restaurant located
> at 22 East 54th Street between Madsion and 5th Aves.
>
> --------------
> Swag Give-Away
>
> Mucho leftovers from LinuxWorld Expo. Come and get 'em.
>
> ----------------------------------
> Where & When is the NYLUG Meeting?
>
> With the generous support of IBM, all regular NY-LUG meetings are held at
> the main IBM building at 590 Madison Avenue at 57th Street in mid-town
> Manhattan every third Wednesday of the month starting at 6:30pm. All
> meetings are free and open to the public.
>
> -------------
> Mailing Lists
>
> * nylug-talk
> Talk Mailing List for people to contribute and resolve each other's
> technical problems.
>
> * nylug-announce
> Announce Mailing List for speaker and installfest announcements.
>
> To post a message to the talk mailing list, address it to
> nylug-talk@nylug.org
>
> -------------
> List Archives
>
> Thanks to Eric Berg, we now have sortable archives from 1999 and in new
> millenium. Check it out at: www.nylug.org
>
> --------
> Contacts
>
> Jim Gleason, President, jgleason@nylug.com
> Eric Berg, Vice President, eberg@nylug.org
>
> --------------
> What is Linux?
> http://www.nylug.org/about_linux.html
>
> ------------------
> What is NYLUG.org?
>
> NYLUG (www.nylug.org) is New York's Linux Users Group supporting all
> things Linux and Open Source in the New York metro area. Please feel
> free to contact me if you have any questions about the NYLUG.org.
>
> --------------
> Special Thanks
>
> Many thanks go out to Peter Norton and Barry Hughes, NYLUG's lead
> engineers at LinuxWorld Expo, and all of the other NYLUGGERS who
> volunteered. It was a huge success. Good job everybody!
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> Jim Gleason VA Linux Systems
> email: jim@valinux.com http://www.valinux.com
> phone: 212-858-7684 President, New York Linux Users Group
> fax: 212-858-7685 http://www.nylug.org
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>