Seybold has added what could be one of the livelier sessions at this fall's conference in San Francisco -- an open summit meeting on Wednesday, September 26 from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. to discuss and debate the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and its implications for publishers, authors, software companies, software developers, security professionals and many others who may find themselves on one side of the recently enacted, but yet untested U.S. law.

Dave Winer, President of Userland Software, will moderate a panel session that will include:

• Kurt Foss Editor, Planet PDF

• Bill Rosenblatt President, GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies

• Robin Gross Staff Attorney, Intellectual Property & Director of Campaign for Audiovisual Free Expression (CAFE), Electronic Frontier Foundation

• Allan Adler Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs, Association of American Publishers

• Jim Griffin CEO, Cherry Lane Digital

In addition, Planet PDF and Seybold Seminars have invited Dmitry Sklyarov and Alexander Katalov, President of ElcomSoft Co. Ltd., as well as members of their legal team, to attend this featured session. They have tentatively accepted the opportunity to be among the audience, although due to pending litigation, neither Sklyarov or Katalov will be able to directly participate in the discussion. Their next scheduled court appearance on charges of violating the DMCA is Monday, September 24; their intended appearance at this debate could be impacted by court rulings on that date.

From Seybold's description of the event:

"What does the Digital Millennium Copyright Act mean to you? Supporters claim the DMCA is a valuable legal tool for protecting intellectual property and encouraging innovation. Opponents, however, believe the DMCA is at best deeply flawed, and at worst a scheme to squeeze consumers and to silence dissent. In this special session, we'll bring together both sides of the DMCA controversy for a wide-open debate. We'll discuss the impact of the DMCA, its long-term consequences, and recent controversies such as the Dmitry Sklyarov/ElcomSoft case. You'll have the chance to ask hard questions, to get straight answers, and to make up your own minds about this explosive, deeply divisive issue."

MORE INFO

• Planet eBook's comprehensive index of Sklyarov/ElcomSoft coverage since late June

• NEW: "Is Adobe breaking Russian law?" - Scientific American, October 2001