In South America, the Centro de Tecnologia e Sociedade at a Brazilian law school has joined forces with consumer group Idec to mount an anti-DRM campaign of its own. The group doesn"t advocate an end to copyright; indeed, they talk about the importance of "legitimate compensation of the creators." But they worry that DRM can be used to curtail fair use rights or to prohibit uses that would otherwise be legal (buying a DVD legally in the US, for instance, then returning to Brazil only to find that it won"t play).
A "DRM elimination crew" is active in India, while youths in yellow suits can be found passing out literature on Swedish streetcorners. Defective by Design, a group started by the Free Software Foundation, has launched a petition to Bono in the hopes that the U2 front man will advocate against DRM when he has a bit of time left over from playing sold-out rock shows and drumming up more money for Africa.
The US has seen its share of anti-DRM campaigns as well. Apple Stores are a frequent target, since they"re located in highly-visible urban areas. Jumping into the biohazard suits and picketing the Wal-Mart in Rhinelander just doesn"t seem worth it, somehow, but the Apple Store in San Francisco? Absolutely. Defective by Design even organized a worldwide "Day Against DRM" last fall.