The Campaign for Digital Rights has been lobbying against the DMCA on both sides of the Atlantic since the early summer. Now it plans a carefully orchestrated leaflet campaign in the UK.
The main aim of the campaign appears to be persuading CD buyers against buying Jacksons new single, "Rock Your World," from Sony Music Europe when it is released on Oct. 8. However, other companies, including Sonopress, are planning to use the SafeAudio technology in the near future.
The Campaign for Digital Rights is planning a major UK leaflet campaign on Oct. 6, with activists across the country coordinating their local campaigns using the Web.
Postings at the groups Web site suggest that the campaign has leaflet campaigns planned in at least eight major UK cities, including Birmingham, Glasgow and London.
While the Michael Jackson CD campaign will take place in the next week, the Campaign for Digital Rights latest long-term objective is to lobby for the abolition of the European Copyright Directive (EUCD), which it says will be enacted in the UK and elsewhere in Europe within the next 16 months.
"This chilling piece of legislation threatens the academic communitys ability to conduct research into cryptography," says the campaigns Web site.
Adrian Strain, a spokesperson for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), told Newsbytes he was aware of the campaign and was watching the situation closely.
"Our main focus is on protecting the interests of musical artists and copyright holders, so we are monitoring what is happening," he said.
Last Friday, the IFPI published a report saying that recorded music sales were down 5 percent worldwide during the first half of this year. The federation blamed musical piracy in its many forms as one of the reasons for the sales slump.
Steve Gold, Newsbytes
