[FSF] An urgent update on our DRM campaign

[Free Software Foundation]

Dear Free Software Supporter,

We're at a crucial moment in the fight against DRM. This year--thanks
to the strength of the movement FSF has been building through its
Defective By Design campaign--we defeated DRM on music. But DRM on
movies, books, games, and other digital media is a bigger threat than
ever.

Free software is our best weapon against DRM. When you use free
software, no company can use your hardware to control you. You're
free to share whatever you want with whomever you want. And there are
no artificial rules or restrictions: the only limit is our
community's imagination and ingenuity.

If you believe that the technology we use should be free from
arbitrary restrictions, the best way to put that belief into action
is by becoming an FSF member.

* https://my.fsf.org/join

The FSF can take on controversial campaigns like Defective By Design
because it isn't built on the support of big companies and Silicon
Valley CEOs: it's built on the support of activists like you. What
gives us the independence to speak out--and the power to make our
voice heard--is the support of our members and donors.

The world *needs* a strong, principled, and uncompromising voice
against DRM.  Please support this work by becoming an FSF member.
The FSF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and donations are tax deductible in
the US.

Here are some highlights from Defective by Design's work in 2009:

-- 2009 was the year that music DRM died.  But when Apple's iTunes store
went DRM-free on music, we celebrated the victory without buying the
hype: Apple still uses DRM on virtually everything else they sell
(movies, TV shows, games, audiobooks, applications, and of course
hardware).

* <http://www.defectivebydesign.org/itunes-drm-free>

-- Ebooks and ebook readers took off this year, and so did the threat of
DRM on books.  When Amazon deleted copies of George Orwell's 1984
from hundreds of people's ebook readers, we collected thousands of
signatures from readers, authors, public intellectuals and librarians
demanding an end to ebook DRM.

* <http://www.defectivebydesign.org/amazon1984>

-- At the same time, we praised and promoted the work of authors and
publishers who do the right thing and keep their books DRM-free, like
Harlequin's new publishing house Carina Press, or the hundreds of
publishers who tagged their work "drmfree".

* <http://www.defectivebydesign.org/carina-drm-free>
* <http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/1240>

Through all this, Defective by Design is proud to be the only voice
saying loud and clear that there's no such thing as "better" or
"friendlier" DRM. No matter how many devices it works on, or what
"features" it includes to trick people into accepting it, DRM robs us
of our basic rights and insults human curiosity--it needs to go.

This work is critical.  The FSF is a member-supported nonprofit.
Please consider donating or becoming a member today:

* <https://my.fsf.org/join>

Thanks for your time, and thanks for all the work you've
done this year. We're proud of it, and we're proud of you!

Sincerely,

Holmes Wilson
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation / Defective by Design