Technology Firms, Consumer Advocates Launch "Digital Freedom" Campaign

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 25, 2006 - 1:57pm.

Washington - A group of technology firms, consumer advocacy groups and artists on Wednesday announced the launch of the Digital Freedom campaign, "a national effort to fight back against efforts by the big record labels and movie studios to ban new digital technologies."

The Consumer Electronics Association, Public Knowledge, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Media Access Project, Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and New America Foundation are among groups supporting the campaign. The group said it seeks to "educate policy makers, innovators, parents, students and other consumers about the lawsuits and legislation that threaten to revoke individuals' rights to use digital technology."

"For the past few years, content companies have launched a sustained assault on the freedom of consumers to legally enjoy, create and distribute music and video, and on the freedom of manufacturers to innovate in response to consumer demands," said Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge. "Those powerful companies have worked nonstop through the Federal Communications Commission and Congress to achieve their ends. The Digital Freedom campaign is a signal that it's time the government paid attention to consumers, and to the laws already on the books."

Related Links:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061025/dcw029.html?.v=78
http://www.digitalfreedom.org