EFF Advisory Board formed for long term strategy

November 23, 2004

GristyMcFisty used our news submit to tell us that luckily, (I hope) the EFF may become a tad bit more effective. Today, the digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation formed an Advisory board, created to help the group form some effective long-term strategies. Among the 12 advisors named to this panel are music entrepreneur Jim Griffin, Eben Moglen of the FSF, Princeton professor Ed Felton and lawyer Michael Froomkin of the Universityof Miami Law School.

All credit to the EFF for recognizing that fresh thinking is needed. The group"s most notable successes have been on behalf of individuals who"ve falled foul of the rights" holders ugly use of litigation: such as "DVD Jon" Johansen and Dmitri Sklyarov. But the group has been outflanked at almost every turn by the better-funded copyright lobby.

At times it"s even managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory: for example in the case of Senator Orrin Hatch.

Hatch was so disgusted by the way the recording industry treated artists he threatened to introduce flat fee licenses, but was wooed by persistent flattery from the RIAA. He"s now one of the staunchest pigopolist advocates.

I would suggest that we all read this article over at the Register. If only for us to realise that whether or not it can be determined if they are doing a good job, the end result is, when they lose we all lose. The Reg is extremely critical of the EFF and with their track record it is easy to criticise. There have been a few victories, such as with DVD John, but the losses have been numerous and bloody. We now face even tougher and more rights reducing code for the future. As pointed out in the article, the EFF organization is some 2300 miles away from the city where "no lobbyist is left behind". Can we expect any organization to be able to fight against the almighty dollar. The lobbyists seem to have an unending supply from corporate America. But someone has to do something, should we help to support the EFF? Do we even have any other choice?

Source: The Register