EFF: Electronic Frontier Foundation on SonicBlue Bankruptcy

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Advisory

For Immediate Release: Friday, March 21, 2003


Contact:

Gwen Hinze
   Staff Attorney
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   gwen () eff org
   +1 415 436-9333 x110 (office)

Ira Rothken
   Attorney
   Rothken Law Firm
   ira () techfirm com
   +1 415 924-4250


Electronic Frontier Foundation on SonicBlue Bankruptcy

San Francisco - SonicBlue today announced its intention to
file for bankruptcy protection.

The company, maker of the ReplayTV digital video recorder,
has been spending as much as $1 million a month in
litigation expenses to defend a lawsuit brought by more than
two dozen entertainment companies. The entertainment
companies allege that ReplayTV owners are violating
copyright law when they skip commercials. EFF represents
five individual ReplayTV owners who have counter-sued the
entertainment companies to establish that skipping
commercials is legal.

"Today's bankruptcy sends a clear message to technology
companies: you may not innovate without Hollywood's prior
approval, on pain of enormous litigation expenses," said EFF
Staff Attorney Gwen Hinze.

"This puts the case on hold for the short term," said Ira
Rothken of the Rothken Law Firm, lead lawyer on behalf of
the individual ReplayTV owners. "Much will depend on the
details of the bankruptcy, but we are still very interested
in making it clear that Hollywood cannot use copyright law
to force consumers to watch commercials."

For this advisory:
http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/Newmark_v_Turner/20030321_eff_pr.php

Newmark v. Turner case:
http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/Newmark_v_Turner/

Media coverage:
http://news.com.com/2100-1047-993647.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/02/20
/BU242907.DTL


About EFF:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at
http://www.eff.org/

                            -end-





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