Kucinich Requests House Committee Hearing on Diebold's DMCA Abuses!

[Bushfire]

Press Release, Fri Nov 21st 2003

Sends Letter to Chairman Sensenbrenner and Ranking Member Conyers

Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), today, sent a letter to the Chairman and the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee requesting that the Committee hold a hearing to investigate abuses of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by Diebold Inc., one of the nation’s largest electronic voting machine manufacturers.

Recently, Diebold has waged an intimidation campaign to repress circulation of employee e-mails that raise concerns about the security of its electronic voting machines. Since early October 2003, Diebold has sent more than a dozen cease-and-desist letters to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and universities that host websites that either posted Diebold employee e-mails or merely hyperlinked to other websites with the e-mails.

Diebold invoked the DMCA to pressure many ISPs and universities into removing websites and hyperlinks. These cease-and-desist letters were inappropriate.

Kucinich states in his letter,

“There is a compelling argument that the fair use doctrine precludes copyright liability for posting the e-mails. The archive is predominantly factual and was reproduced to inform the national public debate on election reform, specifically, on the machines used to count our votes. The e-mails do not harm any market of Diebold’s, except in the sense that admitted problems may cause municipal and state purchasers to subject the machines to greater scrutiny.

more...

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/oh10_kucinich/031121judcmtediebold.html

DK really wants my vote it seems, and he is doing everything I can think of to deserve it.

[Hep]

1. GO DK!

The candidates are kicking some ass this week.

[liberalmuse]

2. Good!

I'm glad someone in Congress is working towards something positive. Kucinich rocks!

[maddezmom]

3. Keep it in the Media...thumbs up!

Way to go DK

[Bushfire]

4. He is going to get some good free publicity for the BBV activists

by doing this. I suspect the NY Times, Wash Post, and other papers will have to write a blurb about this not to mention various business and computer publications. DK is also hosting some of the nefarious internal Diebold emails as well on the US House server for those who didn't know.

[Terwilliger]

5. Yes Dennis!

there IS a Democrat standing up to be counted in Washington!

[MuseRider]

6. It is called

integrity. He is for the people above all else and he has no fear. Go DK!

[Syn_Dem]

7. Dennis doing it again

:) :) :)

[Eric J in MN]

8. remember when Democrats controlled the House, and

Remember when Democrats controlled the House, and a letter like this could actually result in a corporation being investigated?

[wheresthemind]

9. The difference between Dennis and everyone else....

He REALLY puts his money where his mouth is...

He has not abandoned his role as a Congressman to run for President. As he put it, "how can I campaign on medicare reform and miss one of the biggest votes in the century!" (I think that was the vote that Kerry and Graphm missed and it passed by only one vote in the Senate?)

He LED the anti-war movement in the House.

He has introduced bills into congress for nearly every single issue he campaigns on.

He's got a record of doing what he says!

GET THIS MAN ELECTED PEOPLE!

[wryter2000]

10. Yahoo, DK

You go, guy.

[donsu]

11. kick

nt

[leesa]

12. This man is incredible. He has more courage than anyone I have ever

heard of in politics! Americans go for the glamorous, sometimes bogus courage of military people, but THIS is real courage. To speak out and take action against a powerful domestic enemy is something a courageous military person would rarely do.