Estados Unidos contra ElcomSoft y Dmitry Sklyarov fue un caso penal de 2001-2002 en el que Dmitry Sklyarov y su empleador ElcomSoft fueron acusados de presunta violación de la DMCA . El caso generó algunas preocupaciones sobre los derechos civiles y el proceso legal en los Estados Unidos, y terminó con el retiro de los cargos contra Sklyarov y Elcomsoft declarado inocente bajo la jurisdicción aplicable.
Los cargos presentados en el caso fueron traficar y ofrecer al público un programa de software que podría eludir las protecciones tecnológicas de material protegido por derechos de autor, en violación de la Sección 1201(b)(1)(A) y (C) del Título 17 de la Código de los Estados Unidos (las Leyes de Derechos de Autor , incluida la mayor parte de la Ley de Derechos de Autor del Milenio Digital ), así como las Secciones 2 ( Ayuda e Instigación ) y 371 ( Conspiración ) del Título 18 , Parte I, del Código de los Estados Unidos (el Código Penal Federal ).
Dmitry Sklyarov, un ciudadano ruso empleado de la empresa rusa ElcomSoft , visitó los EE.UU. para dar una presentación llamada "Seguridad de libros electrónicos: teoría y práctica" en la convención DEF CON en Las Vegas , Nevada . El 16 de julio de 2001, cuando estaba a punto de regresar a Moscú , Sklyarov fue arrestado por el FBI y encarcelado por supuestamente violar la Ley de Copyright del Milenio Digital de los Estados Unidos (de 1998) al escribir el software de procesador avanzado de libros electrónicos de ElcomSoft. [1]
El propósito de la presentación de Sklyarov fue mostrar que Adobe fue descuidado y violó los derechos de los autores al utilizar un sistema de seguridad que no estaba aprobado por criptólogos profesionales y aplicar el sistema al mercado de libros electrónicos en rápido crecimiento. [2]
The original issue came to the attention of prosecutors when Adobe Systems, a U.S. company, complained that copy protection arrangements in its e-book file format were being illegally circumvented by ElcomSoft's product. Adobe withdrew its complaint, but United States Department of Justice prosecutors (under the authority of local U.S. Attorney Robert S. Mueller, future Director of the FBI) declined to likewise drop the charges. This was because it was found that ElcomSoft had contracted with an American company, RegNow, to sell copies of the Advanced eBook Processor software and accept payment information from American citizens.[3] Thus, the case had merit in US federal court. However, ElcomSoft's product, and thus presumably the efforts of its employees including Sklyarov, were entirely legal in Russia. Sklyarov was eventually released on bail, but forced to remain in California, separated from his family, until his case concluded.
The day after his arrest, several web sites and mailing lists coordinated from the website freesklyarov.org started to organize protests, many of them under the slogan "Free Dmitry" or "Free Sklyarov". The main point of these campaigns was that no DMCA violations were committed at DEF CON, and that the DMCA does not apply in Russia, so Sklyarov was being arrested for something that was perfectly legal in his jurisdiction. A campaign to boycott Adobe products was also launched.
On July 19, 2001, the Association of American Publishers issued a press release announcing their support of his arrest.[4]
After Sklyarov was arrested he was held briefly at the North Las Vegas Detention Center; then he was held in the Oklahoma City Federal Prisoner Transfer Center until August 3, 2001, when he was transferred to the Federal building in San Jose, California. On August 6, 2001, Sklyarov was released on a US $50,000 bail and was not allowed to leave Northern California.
The U.S. government agreed to drop all charges filed against Sklyarov, provided that he testify at the trial of his company. He was permitted to return to Russia on December 13, 2001.
On December 17, 2002, after a two-week trial in San Jose, California, a federal jury found ElcomSoft not guilty of all four charges under the DMCA.[5]
The case raised some concerns particularly since it involved an individual being prosecuted for activities that were fully legal in the country where they occurred.[6]
Bruce Chizen , director ejecutivo de Adobe Systems , comentó sobre el caso en una entrevista con CNET :
Mirando hacia atrás con 20/20 , desearía que hubiéramos tenido una mejor comunicación con ElcomSoft, Dmitry Sklyarov y la EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) antes de que todo se hiciera público. Lamento no haber podido hacerlo, porque creo que podríamos haber resuelto muchos de los problemas. [7]