Originally published October 11 2003
SunnComm backs off attempt to imprison student for pressing the shift key
by Mike Adams, NaturalNews Editor
At first, SunnComm threatened to sue Halderman for publishing a paper that told others how to bypass CD anti-piracy security by pressing the shift key. Today, SunnComm backed off the threat. This happened following a rather hilarious round of public bashing of the firm from all four corners of the Internet.
But the interesting thing about this remains the fact that SunnComm could sue the student under current federal law. It was SunnComm's own decision to pull the lawsuit, not some rational change in the flawed DMCA law.
Under the DMCA, SunnComm could have not only sued this student for publishing the paper, but also for pressing the shift key in the first place! Under federal law, this student could have wound up behind bars. He's a nasty pirate after all, right?
It's very difficult to call America the "land of the free" when this kind of law persists.
- In an abrupt reversal, SunnComm Technologies said Friday that
it will not sue a Princeton University graduate student who published a
paper that describes how to bypass CD copy-protection technology simply
by pressing the Shift key.
- SunnComm CEO Peter Jacobs acknowledged his threat to file a lawsuit
was a mistake.
- Halderman's paper, published Monday and titled "Analysis of the
MediaMax CD3 Copy-Prevention System," describes flaws in the MediaMax
technology SunnComm sold and BMG Entertainment used on an Anthony
Hamilton CD it released last month.
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