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DVD Jon to work for Michael Robertson
GuNgA-DiN writes "Jon Lech Johansen, the 21-year-old Norwegian media hacker nicknamed DVD Jon, is moving to San Diego to work for maverick tech entrepreneur Michael Robertson in what can only be described as the most portentous team-up since Butch met Sundance. "I have no idea what I'll be doing, but I know it will be reverse engineering, and I'm sure it will be interesting," Johansen told Wired News during a Friday stopover in San Francisco. Robertson's website reveals that they are working on a new project and all he said was: "Oboe is the code name for a significant new project we have underway that will launch before the end of the year. It's as momentous as anything I've ever done in my technical career, but I won't say more since I despise vaporware. I know this project will be even better with Jon on board.""
He should stay out of the US. We don't need him becoming another Dmitry Sklyarov.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
"All I know is it will involve reverse engineering"
Despite the fact that reverse engineering is legal for plenty of abstract instances, there's only a few cases where it's legal (in the US) to reverse engineer to compete/modify/upgrade (with) a product.
I'm guessing this 'Oboe' thing is doomed to fail, regardless of how 'legit' it is, it's going to be blockaded by legal barrierers and appeals and whatnot.
That's assuming they're using the reverse engineering to enter a market and compete with another services, if it's something completely new and doesn't compete with other services (at least directly), I'll change my tune.
I'll subscribe to Slashdot when I see a month without a dupe, a typo, or an article the "editors" didn't read.
Doesn't that just give the big boys someone to sue that has more money?
My Tech Posts on Twitter
Being able to play DVDs on Linux seems pretty productive and useful to me.
The Farewell Tour II
He's just going to get arrested isn't he? He's clearly comitted crimes under the DMCA; more so than Dmitry Skylarov, and look what happened to him. I think this is a really bad idea.
Dmitry was the first person I thought of too - seriously Jon, stay out! I'm not kidding. You'll wind up in jail. Doesn't matter if what you did was legal in your own country or not. The Media Mafia does NOT care. They'll have you locked up. These guys own Senators and they make the rules.
No offer they've made could possibly be worth the risk. Don't do it.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
If he's going to be doing "reverse engineering", why on earth would he come to the place on planet Earth where he is most likely to wind up in jail for doing so?
Why not hook him up with a VPN and have him work out of his current home? You know, some place far far away where he can't wind up in jail for DCMA violations?
You don't need your physical body to be in the US to work for a US company, you know. Keep your body somewhere where it can't get thrown in jail.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
From what I have read of the various affairs where he was implicated, he never was found guilty of anything in his homeland. So his record should be blank. I don't think he can be prosecuted in US if he is cautious. I believe the same was true for Skylarov and that they only could charge him when he made a presentation about circumvention techniques on US soil. I hope Jon checked his status and the US regulation with a lawyer before immigrating anyway.
The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
What's with /. and the fuckin hero worship
Jon is a kid hacker, wasn't even the author of DeCSS for crying out loud.
RMS needs a shower and job.
Kevin Mitnick *IS* a criminal.
Linus is not our lord saviour.
etc. etc...
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
"In Norway, you have the same laws (as in the United States) now," he says, "so it makes no difference if I'm doing my work here or there."
This may be true but, I'd be surprised if it really were. I thought only the US had the DMCA. But, assuming it is true, it does not mean that the US have the same courts, judges, juries or mindsets as Norway. Indeed Jon's freedom in Norway was at risk. The fact that he was successful in twice defending himself in Norway does not guarantee that he will also be successful in the US. It doesn't even mean that he would be able to afford to defend himself in the US.
I'd hate to be in a US jail for months, waiting for a trial where a public defender will represent me against the wishes of massive moneyed corporations. There is no way that I would set foot in the US if I were DVD Jon. Surely he can telecommute for a software gig!
If Robertson's a failure we need more of them.
Lets review:
- The guy is in the 40 richest under 40
- He help defend the first MP3 player to make it legal
- He galvanized support for MP3 to make it the de facto standard
- He resisted all efforts to add DRM to any of the music on MP3.com
- He sold company for $400MM
- He started Lindows and got $20MM from Microsoft to change the name to Linspire
- Started SIPphone to promote open standard VOIP with http://gizmoproject.com/
- Launched IMFederation.com to promote open standard IM
- He's given millions to open source initiatives (linspire.com/opensource)
I don't know what he's doing at MP3tunes or with DVD Jon, but I'd consider his resume pretty solid. He's a defender of open standards. He's opposed to DRM. He's not afraid to stand up to media companies or Microsoft. He's not just a tech guy but he's also made real money which he uses aggressively to promote causes he agrees with like Linux on Xbox.
I think he rates at or near the top. Surely he's done more than Andreeson, Cuban and other one trick ponies.
Of course there's no pleasing the slashdot crowd.
Huh? The "San Diego is only a couple of miles from Mexico and I have some family their." sentence is not in the article.