Last week's International Day Against DRM was the biggest ever, with fifteen actions from Guatemala to Bangladesh, endorsement from major ebook publishers, and a chorus of support on social media. Community members shared diverse perspectives on DRM in community blog posts and helped bring new people in to our movement. Together we sent a strong message to the DRM and publishing industries: we will not tolerate digital restrictions. We're excited to build on our success for the coming year and make 2016's Day even more powerful.
Anti-DRM activists in Guatemala City
There will be lots to discuss and act on in the coming year. For example, on May 6, the world learned that Keurig Green Mountain's sales fell 23% in the first quarter of 2015 -- and their stock price dropped 10% as a result. Did you see the company backpedal on the DRM-choked Keurig 2.0 once it became clear that people don't want a coffee maker that only brews Keurig-branded coffee? They haven't committed to removing DRM...yet. In fact, they're simply going to allow refillable cups to work in the machine (like their older models) and are working to get more coffee brands licensed as part of their DRM coffee scheme. We need to keep the pressure on them and other companies, and each year, the Day is one of our best opportunities to make a strong statement together.
May 3, 2016 is the next International Day Against DRM and we hope all of you can participate.
We'll use our action alerts list to give plenty of notice beforehand, so you have a chance to get involved. Join now to get low-volume updates. If you think you might like to organize an event of any size next year, feel free to contact us directly at info@defectivebydesign.org and we'll make a note to reach out to you personally leading up to the Day.
This movement is powered by people, but we do need a modest amount of money to pay the bills and keep our organizers fed and healthy. If you can, please donate to help us make next year's International Day Against DRM even better. It doesn't have to be a lot -- many donations of $15 or $25 add up.
PS: Check out new photos from actions around the world in last week's recap post.