Update 4/16: Please note the updated location, this event will now take place at UCLA Moore Hall in the Reading Room (Room 3340)
Please join README as we host…
The right to repair, the freedom to tinker, and the right to know: 20 years of DMCA shenanigans
Tuesday, April 24, 2018, 6pm
UCLA Moore Hall, Reading Room 3340
RSVP required: pretix.eu/readme/right-to-repair
A law intended to stop people from making off-brand DVD players now means that security researchers can’t warn you about dangers from the cameras in your bedroom; that mechanics can’t fix your car; and that your printer won’t take third party ink.
It’s been 20 years since Congress enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Section 1201 of that long, gnarly hairball of a law bans “circumvention” of any kind of copyright lock. Originally that meant you couldn’t tweak your DVD player to play out-of-region discs, nor alter your Sega Dreamcast to play homegrown games.
Today, it means any gadget with software can be designed so that you violate DMCA 1201 just by using it in ways the manufacturer doesn’t like—say, by getting your car fixed by an independent mechanic, or by fixing your own tractor. Just warning people about scary security defects in the products they rely is an invitation to legal retaliation under DMCA 1201.
Every three years, the US Copyright Office holds hearings about proposed exceptions to this law. This is one of those years, and we’re coming to UCLA to testify before the Copyright Office on preserving your rights to use your property as you see fit (even if that upsets a big company’s shareholders!).
Come and hear about what we showed and told the Copyright Office, and ask us questions about your freedom and the funny thing that happened to us all on the way to the twenty-first century.
Speakers
Kit Walsh (EFF)
Kyle Wiens (iFixit)
Robert Miranda (SmarTeks)
Matthew Zieminski (Puls)
Emceed by Cory Doctorow (EFF)
RSVP
As seating is limited, we ask that you RSVP at pretix.eu/readme/right-to-repair. In the event you are unable to attend, please use the link provided in your confirmation email to make your spot available again.
Location
UCLA Moore Hall
Room 3340 (Reading Room)
457 Portola Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Parking/Public Transit
Pay parking is available in nearby UCLA Parking Structure 2. Look for the short-term, non-permit parking spaces, where you will find meters that accept credit card or cash (no change). Parking begins at $3/hour and goes up to $12/day. Find more details including directions for accessible parking at transportation.ucla.edu/campus-parking/visitors. Public transit information can be found at lacmta.metrocloudalliance.com.
Questions?
Let us know if you have questions about this event by emailing us at uclareadme@riseup.net or tweet us at @uclareadme.