EFF Sues Apple Over BluWiki Legal Threats

Hugh Pickens writes "The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed suit against Apple to defend the First Amendment rights of BluWiki, a noncommercial, public Internet 'wiki' site operated by OdioWorks. Last year, BluWiki users began a discussion about making some Apple iPods and iPhones interoperate with software other than Apple's iTunes. Apple lawyers demanded removal of the content (pdf) sending a letter to OdioWorks, alleging that the discussions constituted copyright infringement and a violation of the DMCA's prohibition on circumventing copy protection measures. Fearing legal action by Apple, OdioWorks took down the discussions from the BluWiki site but has now filed a lawsuit to vindicate its right to restore those discussions (pdf) and seeking a declaratory judgment that the discussions do not violate any of the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions, and do not infringe any copyrights owned by Apple. 'I take the free speech rights of BluWiki users seriously,' said Sam Odio, owner of OdioWorks. 'Companies like Apple should not be able to censor online discussions by making baseless legal threats against services like BluWiki that host the discussions.'" Random BedHead Ed adds ZDNet quotes EFF's Fred von Lohmann, who says that this is an issue of censorship. 'Wikis and other community sites are home to many vibrant discussions among hobbyists and tinkerers. It's legal to engage in reverse engineering in order to create a competing product, it's legal to talk about reverse engineering, and it's legal for a public wiki to host those discussions.'"

Comments

Re:First Amendment

[aynoknman]

I ate beans yesterday.

We know.

One of those beans was not actually a bean.

Re:Why does everyone always side with the little g

[burnin1965]

Declaration of Independence from the American colonies
{Anonymous Coward}If you don't like the tyranny of a monarchy then try to get the king to change, otherwise shut the #@$# up. Until then keep paying taxes to the king.{/Anonymous Coward}

Civil rights movement takes on the Jim Crow laws.
{Anonymous Coward}If you don't like segregation and individual rights based on the color of your skin then change the color of your skin, otherwise shut the #@$# up. Until then continue to sit in the back of the bus.{/Anonymous Coward}

Salt Satyagraha campaign against British Salt Laws.
{Anonymous Coward}If you don't like paying monopoly prices for salt due to laws that make it illegal to produce your own salt then change your diet to a no-salt diet, otherwise shut the #@$# up. Until then continue to pay exorbitant prices and taxes to the British Empire.{/Anonymous Coward}

ad infinitum...