The Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov who was arrested last
month in US for distributing software designed to decrypt Adobe
e-Book software, has been released on bail. A US federal district
court in San Jose agreed to release him on payment of $50,000 from
his employers ElcomSoft, but ordered him not to leave North
Carolina.
Sklyarov was arrested in Las Vegas under a controversial
provision of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). He has
been charged with trafficking in decryption software that enables
purchasers of Adobe e-Books to open access to their e-Book from any
computer terminal. This breaches a condition of sale that restricts
access to the computer terminal from which the purchase was
made.
According to civil liberty group the Electronic Frontier
Foundation (EFF), Sklyarov is subject to travel restrictions (his
passport is being held by the Department of Justice) and he may be
required to remain in one place unless police-escorted. The EFF has
strongly protested against the arrest of Sklyarov and has
campaigned for his release during his three weeks in custody.
A pre-trial hearing has been set for 23rd August.
