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EFFector 22.33: International Activists Launch New Website to Gather
and Share Copyright Knowledge

EFFector Vol. 22, No. 33, November 16, 2009  editor@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424

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In our 522nd issue:

* International Activists Launch New Website to Gather and Share
Copyright Knowledge
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Electronic Information for
Libraries (eIFL.net), and other international copyright experts joined
together today to launch Copyright Watch -- a public website created
to centralize resources on national copyright laws at
http://www.copyright-watch.org .

Copyright Watch is the first comprehensive and up-to-date online
repository of national and regional copyright laws. Users can find
links by choosing a continent or by searching a country name. The site
will be updated over time to include proposed amendments to laws, as
well as commentary and context from national copyright experts.
Copyright Watch will help document how legislators around the world
are coping with the challenges of new technology and new business
models.

For the full press release:
https://www.eff.org/press/archives/2009/11/13

* EFF Obtains Records from Behind-the-Scenes Negotiations on Telecom
Immunity
EFF posted thousands of pages of records detailing behind-the-scenes
negotiations between government agencies and Congress about providing
immunity for telecoms involved in illegal government surveillance.
The documents include drafts of legislation and communications between
Congress and the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) about amendments to the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). They were released as a
result of litigation that started back in 2007, when Congress first
debated granting immunity to the telecommunications companies for
taking part in massive, unchecked surveillance of Americans' telephone
and Internet communications. EFF used the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) to request information about communications between the DOJ,
ODNI, Congress, and telecom lobbyists.

For the full press release:
https://www.eff.org/press/archives/2009/11/12

* EFF to Represent Yes Men in Court Battle Over Chamber of Commerce
Action
EFF and Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP, will defend the Yes Men and other
activists in a lawsuit filed against them by the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce over political criticism of the Chamber's stance on climate
change legislation.
In mid-October, the activists staged a "press conference" in which the
Chamber of Commerce ostensibly reversed its position and promised to
stop lobbying against strong climate change legislation -- a stance
that has caused numerous Chamber members to leave the organization. As
has been widely reported, before the press conference was even
completed, a Chamber of Commerce representative rushed into the room
and revealed that the Chamber's position on climate change legislation
had not in fact changed.

For the full press release:
https://www.eff.org/press/archives/2009/11/11

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Updates:

* From EFF's Secret Files: Anatomy of a Bogus Subpoena
Can the U.S. government secretly subpoena the IP address of every
visitor to a political website? No, but that didn't stop it from
trying.
In a report released this week, EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kevin
Bankston tells the story of a bogus federal subpoena issued to
independent news site indymedia.us, and how the site fought back with
EFF's help.

For the full Deep Link:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/effs-secret-files-anatomy-bogus-subpoena

For the report:
https://www.eff.org/wp/anatomy-bogus-subpoena-indymedia

* Reining in ACTA: Update and Call to Action
EFF is asking the Obama administration to reveal the terms being
negotiated in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) on
criminal enforcement of intellectual property in the digital
environment. It's hard to imagine a more controversial set of
intellectual property topics  and underlying them all is the distinct
lack of transparency attached to the entire process. Write to your
Senators now and tell them to rein in ACTA!

For the full Deep Link:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/reining-in-acta

To write to your Senators:
https://secure.eff.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=420

* Convicted Murderer to Wikipedia: Shhh!
In 1990, Bavarian actor Walter Sedlmayr was brutally murdered. Two of
his business associates were convicted and imprisoned for the crime,
and they were recently paroled. Who killed Sedlmayr is a matter of
public record, but if one of the perpetrators  gets his way, all
evidence of the conviction will soon be lost. Last week, he sent the
online encyclopedia Wikipedia a cease and desist letter  demanding
that his name be taken off of the Sedlmayr article page.

For the full Deep Link:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/murderer-wikipedia-shhh

* Coalition Calls for Restoration of Privacy and Civil Liberties
Oversight Board
As we watch Congress wrangle with much-needed reforms to the PATRIOT
Act -- particularly attempts to address the misuse of National
Security Letters -- it's clear that there are important voices missing
from the fray. One notable void stems from the empty Privacy and Civil
Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB). Alongside a coalition of civil
liberties groups, EFF has called on President Obama to prioritize the
nomination of board members so that the PCLOB can contribute to
ongoing debates over government surveillance, cybersecurity, and
more.

For the full Deep Link:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/coalition-calls-restoration-privacy-and-civil-libe

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miniLinks

~ Judge: Unmask Web Commenter
The mother of a teen criticized online will learn the identity of the
anonymous commenter -- even though she has not decided yet if  she is
going to sue.
http://www.abajournal.com/news/web_commenter_to_be_unmasked_to_mom_of_criticized_teen/

~ Classic Study on "The Computer Underground"
The Social Organization of the Computer Underground has been updated
-- proceeds to benefit EFF!
http://www.gordonmeyer.com/2009/11/the-computer-underground-twenty-years-later.html

~ What It Looks Like When the Government Says "Uncle!"
A heartwarming photo of EFF lawyers with a mountain of telecom
immunity docs obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hughelectronic/4095689983/in/set-72157622659990091

~ BBC Backs Down on DRM
Public outrage and protest letters in response to a plan to put DRM on
high-def broadcasts appears to have worked.
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/09/bbcs-outrageous-plan.html

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Announcements

* Vote for EFF on Credo's 2009 Donations Ballot!

Each year, the progressive phone service provider Credo polls its
members to figure out how to distribute donation funds to various
nonprofits. This year, EFF is one of the nonprofits listed on the
ballot! The size of the donation is proportional to how many votes
the organization gets, so every vote for EFF counts! If you've taken
a
Credo action alert, or if you're a Credo mobile, Credo long distance,
or Working Assets credit card customer, then supporting EFF is easy
--
simply log in and vote for the Electronic Frontier Foundation now:

http://act.credoaction.com/voting/login.html

* Become a Google Policy Fellow and Work with EFF Next Summer!

If you're a student or researcher who is passionate about improving
technology policy and you're interested in working with EFF, consider
applying for a Google Policy Fellowship -- a 10-week, summer
program that gives students the chance to work alongside public
interest organizations on topics of Internet and technology policy.

Just as Google's "Summer of Code" project aims to develop and promote
open source projects, Google is hoping that these policy fellowships
will advance debate on key policy issues affecting the public. Fellows
will receive a stipend of $7,000 for 10 weeks during the summer of
2010 (June to August). Applications are due by midnight on Monday,
December 28, 2009. Students who are accepted into the program will be
notified by Friday, February 12, 2010.

For more information, check out the FAQ:
http://www.google.com/policyfellowship/faq.html

To learn more about EFF's areas of focus:
http://www.google.com/policyfellowship/hosts.html#eff

Tofill out the application:
http://services.google.com/inquiry/policyfellowship

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Administrivia

EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
http://www.eff.org/about

Editor:
Eva Galperin, Referral Coordinator
eva@eff.org

Membership & donation queries:
membership@eff.org

To support EFF:
http://links.eff.org/emaildonate

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information@eff.org