RIAA/SDMI Letter, April 9, 2001
[on RIAA letterhead]
Matthew J. Oppenheim, Esq.
Senior Vice President
Business and Legal Affairs
Recording Industry Association of America
April 9, 2001
Professor Edward Felton [sic]
Department of Computer Science
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544
Dear Professor Felton [sic]:
...
As you are aware, at least one of the technologies that was
the subject of the Public Challenge, the Verance Watermark,
is already in commercial use and the disclosure of any information
that might assist others to remove this watermark would seriously
jeopardize the technology and the content it protects.
...In addition, any disclosure of information gained form participating
in the Public Challenge would be outside of the scope of the activities
permitted by the Agreement and could subject you and you research team
to ---ACTIONS--- under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA").
RIAA Response to Felten/EFF First Amendment lawsuit
RIAA:
"Indeed, immediately before receiving notice of the original Complaint,
Defendants RIAA and SDMI again stated that it was never our intention to bring
any kind of ---ACTION--- against Felten. . . . In fact, we felt Felten should publish his
findings, because everyone benefits from research into the vulnerabilities of security
mechanisms." Industry Standard Letter (emphasis added) (Exhibit A).
