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----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Hello -- The Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) is going to conference! Now is the time to contact your Senators and Representatives and let them hear your voice on these important issues. On September 24, 1998, Congress held the first of several meetings, to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). These meetings could be completed by the end of this week! Please review the following message from the the Digital Future Coalition, DFC, of whom ARLIS/NA is a member, detailing the current status of this legislation and the critical people to contact. More information is also available on the DFC Web site:<http://www.dfc.org> . Thanks for all your efforts to date and thanks in advance for your response to this very important, urgent appeal now. Katy Poole Public Policy Committee ____________________________________ >From: "Skip Lockwood" <[log in to unmask]> >>To: "Digital Future Coalition Discussion List" <[log in to unmask]> >>Subject: Speak now or forever hold your peace on the Digital Millennium Copy >>Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 16:04:16 -0400 >>Errors-To: <[log in to unmask]> >>Sender: [log in to unmask] >>X-Listname: <[log in to unmask]> >> >> >>September 28, 1998 >> >>The Digital Millenium Copyright Act is going to conference >> >>Speak now or forever hold your peace! >> >>On September 24, 1998, Congress held the first of several meetings, to >>reconcile the House and Senate versions of the Digital Millennium Copyright >>Act (DMCA). These meetings could be completed by the end of this week! >> >>The DMCA makes significant changes to American copyright law in the name of >>implementing the World Intellectual Property Organization Treaties. >>Unfortunately, some of the proposed changes could upset the uniquely >>American balance between the users and creators of copyrighted works. The >>Senate bill lacks adequate protections for fair use, encryption research, >>and personal privacy. It could also limit the availability of future >>consumer electronics and computer products. On the other hand, the House >>version contains many extraneous provisions that have little or nothing to >>do with implementing the important WIPO treaties. These provisions in the >>House bill would overturn three consumer-oriented Supreme Court decisions. >>The Justice department has concluded that one of these provisions, Title V, >>which creates sweeping new rights in databases and other collections of >>information may well be unconstitutional. Now is the time to speak up >>because these meetings will determine the final form of this legislation as >>it goes to the President's desk to be signed into law. >> >>If you care about the future of the Internet, you should let your Senators >>and Representatives know, as soon as possible, how important it is to >>preserve the essential provisions of the House DMCA, which protects fair >>use, personal privacy, the availability of consumer products and encryption >>research - while rejecting its harmful extraneous provisions. A letter to >>the Senate detailing the DFC's concerns with both pieces of legislation is >>available on our web site at www.dfc.org. >> >>E-mail (www.dfc.org), fax or call (202-224-3121) your Senators and >>Representative now and ask them to contact the members of the Digital >>Millennium Copyright Act conference committee and urge them to keep the >>protections for information consumers embodied in the core of the House >>version of the DMCA and to remove provisions such as Title V, the >>Collections of Information Antipiracy Act, which have no relation to WIPO >>implementation. A sample letter and more information is available at our >>web site www.dfc.org. >> >>The following Representatives and Senators are on the Digital Millennium >>Copyright Act conference committee: >> >>Senator Hatch of Utah >>Senator Leahy of Vermont >>Senator Thurmond of South Carolina >> >>Representative Hyde of Illinois >>Representative Coble of North Carolina >>Representative Goodlate of Virginia >>Representative Berman of California >>Representative Conyers of Michigan >>Representative Dingell of Michigan >>Representative Bliley of Virginia >>Representative Tauzin of Louisiana >> >>The Digital Future Coalition is 42 non-profit and for-profit entities that >>are committed to fighting for balanced intellectual property law (copyright) >>in the digital era. >> >>Membership of the Digital Future Coalition >> >>Alliance for Public Technology >>American Association of Law Libraries >>American Association of Legal Publishers >>American Association of School Administrators >>American Committee for Interoperable Systems >>American Council of Learned Societies >>American Historical Association >>American Library Association >>Art Libraries Society of North America >>Association for Computers and the Humanities >>Association of American Geographers >>Association of Research Libraries >>Chief Officers of State Library Agencies >>College Art Association >>Committee of Concerned Intellectual Property Educators >>Computer & Communications Industry Association >>Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility >>Conference on College Composition and Communications >>Consortium on School Networking >>Consortium of Social Science Associations >>Consumer Federation of America >>Consumer Project on Technology >>Electronic Frontier Foundation >>Electronic Privacy Information Center >>Home Recording Rights Coalition >>International Society for Telecommunications in Education >>Medical Library Association >>Modern Language Association >>Music Library Association >>National Association of Independent Schools >>National Council of Teachers of English >>National Education Association >>National Humanities Alliance >>National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage >>National School Boards Association >>National Writers Union >>Society for Cinema Studies >>Society of American Archivists >>Special Libraries Association >>United States Catholic Conference >>United States Distance Learning Association >>Visual Resources Association >> >> >> >> >>Skip Lockwood >>Coordinator >>Digital Future Coalition >>Box 7679 >>Washington, D.C. 20004-7679 >>202-628-6048 >>202-628-9227 (fax) >>www.dfc.org >>[log in to unmask] >> >> Katherine Poole, Librarian Rotch Visual Collections, M.I.T. 77 Massachusetts Ave., 7-304 Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 1-617-253-7098; FAX 1-617-253-9331 E-mail: [log in to unmask]