Dmitry Sklyarov is a Russian programmer who gave a presentation at Def Con in Las Vegas about weaknesses in the security system of the Adobe eBook platform. Dmitry is also the author of a software utility that allows legitimate purchasers of eBooks to exercise their fair use rights (such as reading eBooks on a Linux machine) which are impeded by the eBook security system.
Adobe Systems, makers of the eBook, filed a complaint with the FBI about Dmitry under the criminal section of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Based on this complaint, the FBI arrested Dmitry in Las Vegas on July 16th, 2001, where he has been held without bail and out of contact with his family in Russia.
There's an excellent collection of documents on Dmitry, including a boyish photo where you just want to pinch his little Russian cheek, here:
A broad coalition of cypherpunks, hackers, Free Software enthusiasts, and other supporters of information freedom are joining under the umbrella of the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) in a protest on Monday, July 23rd. Demonstrations will be held in most North American Cities, as well as Moscow.
In the San Francisco Bay Area marchers will picket and cause a ruckus in front of Adobe System's world headquarters to demand that they immediately drop their complaint and work for the release of Dmitry Sklyarov. (The announcement follows this message.)
In addition, there are people concerned with information freedom all over the world organizing demonstrations at Adobe Systems offices, US embassies, and US Federal buildings to protest Dmitry's arrest. You can find out more here:
http://www.eff.org/Alerts/
It's probably worth noting that US President George Bush is touring Europe right now. Maybe an event coinciding with his presence in your city...?
Anyways, if you're at all interested, please come. Please feel free to pass this information on to others who may be concerned.
