The US federal government is attempting to silence a talented hacker by preventing him from offering expert testimony at an upcoming Xbox 360 jailbreak trial.
According to Wired, the defendant, named as 28-year-old Matthew Crippen of Anaheim, allegedly ran a garage-style business modding Xbox 360s for $60-$80 per unit.
Unsurprisingly, the Feds want to lock Crippen away in the slammer for up to three years.
But Andrew “Bunnie” Huang, the designer of the Chumby and author of the 2003 title Hacking the Xbox: An Introduction to Reverse Engineering, wants the court to know that mod-chipping is not a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
“Basically, what he did was insufficient on his own to violate anything,” Huang told Wired.
“[Of course], the bottom line [is that] I would like to see the scope of the DMCA limited to an appropriate statute that respects fair use, one that respects traditional rights.”
Unfortunately, Huang may not get the opportunity to defend Crippen in court, as federal prosecutors have asked the judge to preclude Huang from testifying.
The feds believe that Huang’s opinion would be “legally irrelevant” as fair use is not a defense to a DMCA charge and therefore legally “inadmissible.”
We beg to differ.
Democracy isn’t about silencing your ideological opponents, stifling inconvenient testimony or painting Lady Justice green to protect corporate interests.
Huang should clearly be allowed to speak, whether or not the Feds want to hear what he has to say.
So, warez 4ever, dudez. Don’t give up the fight!!!
