Digital Freedom Campaign Responds to Recording Industry Lawsuits

Digital Freedom University to Educate and Empower Students on Digital

Rights

    WASHINGTON, March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Digital Freedom
 Campaign (DFC) today released the following statement in response to the
 Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) distribution of
 pre-litigation letters to college students throughout the country.
     "In response to the RIAA's campaign of copyright infringement lawsuits
 against college students, the DFC has launched the Digital Freedom
 University Initiative (DFU). Through the creation of student-chapters at
 colleges and universities across the country, DFU will give students a
 voice in the national debate surrounding digital rights and freedoms in the
 21st Century. DFU will educate students about their fair use rights,
 encourage them to obtain content legally, and help them oppose efforts to
 restrict or violate their digital freedoms.
     "The Digital Freedom Campaign respects the rights of copyright owners
 and opposes piracy, but also believes that consumers, innovators, and
 artists have important rights that must be defended.
     "The RIAA has the right to bring these lawsuits, but in the long run
 suing your customers will not be a productive or successful business
 strategy. Instead, we urge the record labels to put their resources into
 developing digital delivery platforms.
     "The Digital Freedom University Initiative will fight to ensure that
 these thousands of college-age students, who represent future artists,
 innovators and consumers, fully understand their rights, and have a voice
 in the long- term solution."
     The Digital Freedom Campaign is a national effort to defend the rights
 of artists and consumers to use new digital technologies. The campaign
 advocates against measures designed to place crippling restrictions or
 impose excessive fees on technologies that allow individuals to lawfully
 enjoy and create lawfully music, video and other content. More than twenty
 five organizations, representing consumers, film producers, independent
 recording artists, and electronics and computer manufacturers have joined
 together to launch the campaign, which seeks to educate policymakers,
 innovators, parents, students and other consumers about the lawsuits and
 legislation that threaten to revoke individuals' rights to use digital
 technology.
     Organizations that have joined the campaign include: CEA, Public
 Knowledge, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Media Access Project,
 Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), Be The Media, New
 America Foundation, National Video Resources and FreeNetworks.org, as well
 as more than 150 artists and labels.
     For information about the Digital Freedom campaign, visit
 http://www.digitalfreedom.org.
 
 

SOURCE Digital Freedom Campaign