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ElcomSoft is a Russian computer software company specialising in computer security and data recovery applications.
On July 16, 2001, Dmitry Sklyarov, a Russian citizen employed by ElcomSoft, and visiting the United States for a computer conference, was arrested and jailed for allegedly violating the United States DMCA law by writing ElcomSoft's Advanced eBook Processor software. The original issue came to the attention of the prosecutor's when Adobe Systems, a US company, complained that its protection arrangements in its e-Book file format were being violated by ElcomSoft's product. Adobe withdrew its complaint, but US Department of Justice prosecutors declined to likewise drop the charges. Note that ElcomSoft's product, and thus presumably the efforts of its employees including Skylarov, were entirely legal in Russia. Skylarov was eventually released on bail, but forced to remain in California, waiting while courts processed assorted pleas, motions, ... He was not permitted to return to his life in Russia.
Protests ensued, which were coordinated from the website www.freesklyarov.org. Possibly as a result of these protests, the US government agreed to drop all charges filed against Skylarov, provided that he testify at the trial of his company. He was permitted to return to his life in Russia.
In 2002, ElcomSoft was found not guilty of all four charges under the DMCA.
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