Note: The Electronic Frontier Foundation is participating in this press conference with other members of the Morpheus and Grokster legal teams and public interest groups. We are recirculating this press release from StreamCast (Morpheus) for your information.
What: Post-Grokster press conference, with members of the StreamCast (Morpheus) and Grokster legal team along with representatives from the technology industry and public interest groups including P2PUnited, Public Knowledge, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, and the Computer Electronics Association.
When: 12 Noon EDT on the day of the decision. The Court has already scheduled opinion announcements for 10:00a on June 20th, 23rd, 27th, and 30th, and may schedule additional days. If you are a member of the media and wish to phone into the conference, get in touch with one of the contacts listed below.
Who: Richard Taranto argued the case on behalf of Grokster and StreamCast (Morpheus)
StreamCast CEO Michael Weiss and General Counsel Matthew Neco
Fred von Lohmann and Cindy Cohn of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Charles Baker of Porter & Hedges, attorney for StreamCast Networks
Michael Page of Keker & Van Nest, attorney for Grokster
Adam Eisgrau, Executive Director of P2PUnited
Gigi Sohn, President and Co-Founder of Public Knowledge
Edward Black, President and CEO of CCIA
Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of CEA
Why: In a case now before the United States Supreme Court about when if ever technology makers will be legally liable for the infringements committed by the users of their products, and whether entertainment companies will be able to slow or dictate the course of technology development, the makers of the Morpheus and Grokster Peer-to-Peer file sharing software are being sued by 28 of the world's largest entertainment companies.
Background: The entertainment companies lost their case in District Court, and then lost again on appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The lower court rulings were based, in part, on the Supreme Court's landmark decision in the 1984 Sony Betamax case, which determined that Sony was not liable for copyright violations by users of the Betamax VCR.
Contacts:
Art Brodsky
Communications Director
Public Knowledge
abrodsky@publicknowledge.org
Annalee Newitz
Policy Analyst
Electronic Frontier Foundation
annalee@eff.org
Brian O'Neal
Senior Director of Communications
StreamCast Networks
boneal@morpheus.com