On another article at C|Net's News.Com we can read how the Russian Alexander Katalov is defending his copying rights after cracking protections on Adobe Systems' e-books.
The DMCA, passed in 1998, was designed to update copyright law for the digital age and assuage fears that the Internet would encourage rampant piracy. However, some worry that the law goes too far, trampling rights that until now have been protected, such as the ability to reverse-engineer code or make backup copies.
Katalov's saga started last summer, when Russian programmer and ElcomSoft employee Dmitry Sklyarov was arrested during a Las Vegas security convention after giving a speech about the company's new Advanced eBook Processor software.
The arrest aroused scores of protesters, who convinced Adobe to back off the case and join the chorus of voices asking prosecutors to drop the charges against the Russian programmer. Although prosecutors eventually dismissed the case against Sklyarov in exchange for his testimony, ElcomSoft is still charged with violating the DMCA. Katalov, who was also in Las Vegas when Sklyarov was arrested, remained in the United States to fight for his employee's freedom and company's reputation.
What do you think about this? Of course Alexander Katalov's software can be used for illegal purposes but so can most other digital device/software. Imagine this: if every device/software that can be used for illegal activities would be banned there would be no more CD-ReWriters and software like CloneCD...
Source: C|Net News.com
