Press Releases: December, 2003
EFF Helps Win Ninth Circuit Appeal, Right to Use English Language, for eVisa.com
Evisa.com today won its appeal at the Ninth Circuit over whether its domain name diluted Visa's trademark for credit cards, keeping the word "visa" in the dictionary (and DNS servers) for now. "Visa is a generic word used throughout the world to describe foreign travel and was used long before it became a brand name for credit cards," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz.
Court Rules Verizon Can Refuse to ID Customers to Music Industry
In a victory for Verizon and the privacy of Internet users, the D.C. Circuit Court today dismissed the recording industry's subpoenas for user identities. (PDF opinion) The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed
nearly 3,000 subpoenas in Washington, D.C., as a prelude to
lawsuits against 382 alleged filesharers. The court today
ruled that those subpoenas are not authorized by the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act.
Forest Service Drops Plans to Ignore Public Voice
"Allowing ordinary people to influence the rules that affect their lives through website 'action centers' is one of the best benefits of the technology revolution," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn. "The Forest Service is right to listen to the opposition presented by a broad coalition of groups, led by EFF, and allow the public to continue to make its voice heard."
RIAA Hires Head of ATF for Piracy Enforcement
The RIAA announced yesterday that they have hired Bradley A. Buckles, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), to head up their anti-piracy unit. "This is just another example of the RIAA's ongoing plan to treat American consumers like criminals instead of customers," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz. "If they really wanted to solve their file-sharing problems, the RIAA should have considered hiring someone with a business plan rather than a baton and a bulletproof vest."
