FC: Recording industry changes its tune: Claims it wouldn't sue

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

This is a big change from the RIAA/SDMI letter earlier this month 
(http://www.politechbot.com/p-01946.html), which says:

>I urge you to reconsider your intentions and to refrain from any public 
>disclosure of confidential information derived from the Challenge... [it] 
>could subject you and your research team to actions under the Digital 
>Millennium Copyright Act ("DCMA")... would constitute a violation of the 
>Agreement and would subject your research team to enforcement actions 
>under the DMCA and possibly other federal laws.

Also note that the press release below carefully does not say anything 
about Verance and whether that company would still contemplate a lawsuit or 
not. I'm inviting Verance to clarify its current position.

-Declan

*******

http://riaa.com/PR_story.cfm?id=407

        Statement by Matthew Oppenheim on Professor Felten

        The Secure Digital Music Initiative Foundation (SDMI) does
        not - nor did it ever - intend to bring any legal action
        against Professor Felten or his co-authors. We sent the
        letter because we felt an obligation to the watermark
        licensees who had voluntarily submitted their valuable
        inventions to SDMI for testing.

        For the record, the Recording Industry Association of
        America, one of the founding members of SDMI, strongly
        believes in academic freedom and Freedom of Speech. This
        issue, however, is about the competing interests of
        scientists - those of the watermark technology companies
        that have invented new technologies and those of Professor
        Felton who seeks to describe how to circumvent those
        technologies. To that end, we have encouraged Professor
        Felten and the technology companies to resolve this matter.
        We leave it in their hands to do so.

        Further questions should be directed to Verance at 858-677-
        6522




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