Sklyarov Discusses the ElcomSoft Trial

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Sklyarov Discusses the ElcomSoft Trial

Posted by michael on Friday December 20, 2002 @05:29AM from the joseph-k dept.

DaytonCIM writes "Dmitry Sklyarov talks openly about the ElcomSoft trial to CNET News. The 'Russian programmer thinks it was unfair of prosecutors to play his videotaped deposition at the ElcomSoft trial rather than calling him to the stand.'"

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This is a sad story, people by SteweyGriffin · 2002-12-20 05:36 · Score: 1, Interesting

From the page: At the time of his arrest, Dmitry Sklyarov was a 27-year-old Russian citizen, Ph.D. student, cryptographer and father of two small children (a 2-1/2 year old son, and a 3-month-old daughter).

A man devotes his life's work to studying the fine intracacies of computer science. He obtains a doctoral degree through years of work mastering cryptographic algorithms.

He then gets sued unjustly and is ripped away from his children for months and months and months.

Where's the justice here?
1. Re:This is a sad story, people by DaytonCIM · 2002-12-20 06:34 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Where's the justice here?
  
  The justice here was almost the same justice the DoJ dealt Kevin Mitnick; but ElcomSoft was found not-guilty and Sklyarov only spent a short time in custody.
  
  What we need to do as a community is fight the DMCA and DRM Technology, in hopes that this doesn't happen again.
The question I want answered is... by Interrobang · 2002-12-20 05:38 · Score: 3, Interesting

...how did they settle the jurisdictional questions? I mean, last I heard, Skylarov was working in Russia. One assumes the US government just did it by fiat, or was there more diplomacy involved than what I'm led to believe?

If the US just went ahead and did it anyway, that's kind of a scary precedent, meaning that now, no matter where you are in the world, the long arm of US law enforcement can come after you for doing something it doesn't happen to like? If that's the case, as sort of a quid pro quo, I would like some of the priveleges of US citizenship to go along with the burdens.

--
I'm not a geek, I'm just a clever script.
Re:The 5th amendmant by crumley · 2002-12-20 05:46 · Score: 3, Interesting

Part of Dmitry's "plea" agreement was a provision that required him to testify for the government. As he said on several ocassions he was perfectly willing to do that since he had nothing to hide. Dmitry was not the defendant in the case that finally went to trial - his company was. Dmitry did eventually testify for the defense, but it still was pretty sketchy for the government to use his taped deposition instead of calling him to the stand.

--
Preventive War is like committing suicide for fear of death. - Otto Von Bismarck
Re:If US laws apply in other countries... by Zigg · 2002-12-20 06:53 · Score: 3, Interesting

Well, if this case has anything to say for precedence, it wouldn't surprise me if China gained that right.

Scary, eh?