Politech is the oldest Internet resource devoted to politics and technology. Launched in 1994 by Declan McCullagh, the mailing list has chronicled the growing intersection of law, culture, technology, and politics. Since 2000, so has the Politech web site.

Cory Doctorow, a former EFF staff member, dared to criticize as 
"malware" an anti-copying technology used in many video games and 
created by a company called StarForce:
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/30/anticopying_malware_.html

Now StarForce's PR Manager Dennis Zhidkov, who lives in Moscow, is 
making spurious legal threats. Zhidkov claimed, variously, that 
StarForce will "press charges," that the published criticism violates 
"11 international laws," and that he has contacted the FBI to protest 
"harassment." See:
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/31/starforce_threatens_.html

Here's information about Mr. Zhidkov:
http://www.star-force.com/protection.phtml?c=83&id=692

And a discussion of this silliness:
http://it.slashdot.org/it/06/01/31/1721241.shtml

It would be silliness, at least, if there was zero chance that this will 
escalate. But sometimes companies have more money than sense, and 
there's at least a possibility that StarForce will follow through on its 
  threat and file a vexatious lawsuit designed to shut up its critics. 
So it's important to show our support for Cory.

-Declan

Posted by Declan McCullagh on Jan 31, 2006 in category free-speech

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