[GNU/FSF Press] Press Release: anti-DRM campaign DefectiveByDesign

[Peter Brown]

CAMPAIGN CALLS UPON BONO to take a stand against the digital restrictions found in new technology and music.

----June 30, 2006


The direct action campaign DefectiveByDesign.org, today called for all technologists to 
sign the petition calling upon Bono the lead singer of U2, to take a stand against Digital Restrictions Management (DRM)
.
The campaign aims to collect 10,000 signatures, at which point they
will seek an audience with Bono, and discuss with him the threats posed
by DRM.

The group has focused on Bono because of his social activism and
leadership in the music industry. Bono and the band U2 have helped
encourage the media companies to
distribute music online. U2's endorsement of the iPod has led to a huge
financial windfall for Apple's iTunes. The problem is, all Apple's
iTunes music is distributed with DRM handcuffs. The campaign is asking
Bono to take a lead in encourage the removal of these
handcuffs.

"Apple once proclaimed - Rip, Mix, and Burn - but when the Majors
offered them an exclusive deal to distribute their music files, they
quickly stepped into line and imposed DRM on their customers." said
DefectiveByDesign campaign manager Gregory Heller "Apple are now embarrassed by their
once famous marketing slogan, as they try to make excuses for these
digital restrictions."

DefectiveByDesign describes DRM as a simply a scheme by the Big Media
corporations to control consumers and keep artists locked into
unfair contracts - reports say many artists receive as little as 7
cents, for each 99 cent iTunes track downloaded.  The petition asks Bono
to come out in support of technology free of restrictions, and in doing
so expose the myth that musicians demand locks on
technology and culture.

This petition is the forth in a series of direct actions that
DefectiveByDesign.org have taken. They have already targeted Microsoft and
Apple's DRM schemes, and published the telephone numbers of the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) executives,
encouraging hundreds of consumer complaints against the trade
organization.


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About Defective By Design

DefectiveByDesign.org is a broad-based, anti-DRM campaign run by the Free Software Foundation, that is
targeting Big Media, unhelpful manufacturers and DRM distributors. It
aims to make all manufacturers wary about bringing their DRM-enabled
products to market. The campaign aims to identify "defective" products
for the consumer. Users are being asked to stand up in defense of their
existing freedoms and to take action by joining at DefectiveByDesign.org


About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to
promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and
redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and
use of free (as in freedom) software - particularly the GNU operating
system and its GNU/Linux variants - and free documentation for free
software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and
political issues of freedom in the use of software. Their Web site,
located at www.fsf.org, is an important source of information about
GNU/Linux. Donations to support their work can be made at
http://fsf.org/join They are headquartered in Boston, MA, USA.