EFFector Vol. 15, No. 16, May 28th, 2002 editors@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424


In the 216th Issue of EFFector:

    *    ALERT: Sing Out Against The CBDTPA

For more information on EFF activities & alerts: http://www.eff.org/

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Sing Out Against The CBDTPA

Electronic Frontier Foundation ACTION ALERT


(Issued: May 28, 2002 / Expires: June 28, 2002)

Imagine a world where all digital media technology is controlled by
Congress and Hollywood. Senator Ernest Hollings and a powerful group of
Hollywood entertainment interests are pushing Congress to pass an
anti-consumer bill called the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television
Promotion Act (CBDTPA) to bring just such a world into existence. The
CBDTPA promises a world where your ability to use the digital media that
you buy may be severely limited. Legal freedoms that you have long
enjoyed could drastically change. If CBDTPA passes, you may not be able
to:

    *    Play your CDs on your desktop computer
    *    Create legal copies or mp3s of the music that you own to play in
your car, or listen to while you exercise
    *    Create mix-CDs of music you've paid for

This is not the way copyright law is supposed to work. The Betamax
decision, handed down by the Supreme Court in 1984, established the
principle of "substantial non-infringing uses" - if a technology (such
as a VCR) can be used for legitimate copying, such as time shifting or
home viewing, the fact that the technology can also be used for
copyright infringement does not make the technology illegal. The Betamax
principle allows technologists to create tools that can be used for
good, even if they can be used in other ways. The CBDTPA breaks the
delicate balance reached between copyright holders and those making fair
uses of copyrighted works. This bill, and other attempts by Hollywood to
curtail your rights, must be stopped.

What YOU Can Do Now: This is YOUR chance to voice your opposition to
CBDTPA. - Subscribe to the new EFF Action Center and send your member of
Congress an email, letter or fax. You can take action by going to:

    *    http://action.eff.org/tinseltown/

- Join EFF! For membership information see:

    *    http://www.eff.org/support/


Contact:

Ren Bucholz
Activist
Electronic Frontier Foundation
ren@eff.org
+1 415 436-9333 x121 (office)


- end -

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Editor: Ren Bucholz, Activist

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