Dear Friend of Digital Freedom,

One of the main reasons I joined EFF as a lawyer eleven years ago was to fight for fair use. Thanks to your support, I’ve had the great privilege of doing that ever since, in a time when fair use rights are more important than ever. As copyrighted software becomes embedded in everyday objects, our ability to access and interact freely with that technology is increasingly important. Without protections like fair use, a small group of copyright holders could control all kinds of innovation and expression.

I’m proud of EFF’s work on fair use, but one law remains a huge barrier: Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which makes it illegal to break the digital locks, or DRM, on copyrighted works—even for uses that are otherwise perfectly legal. Sadly, the U.S. has propagated similar restrictions around the world. Section 1201 obstructs our right to tinker with or repair devices, convert videos across multiple platforms, remix videos, and even research security flaws in our computers, cars, and medical devices. What's worse is that the law has failed miserably at the one thing it was intended to accomplish: discourage online piracy.

EFF has just sued the U.S. government to challenge this law. We’re taking Section 1201 to court armed with key U.S. Supreme Court findings and nearly twenty years of knowledge about its interference with lawful speech. It’s time to set such draconian and unnecessary restrictions aside. It won’t be easy and we need your longterm support to continue fighting. Help us speak out on behalf of technology creators and researchers everywhere as an EFF member, and protect free expression.

Fighting for your digital rights,

Corynne McSherry
EFF Legal Director