Cindy Cohn
Encyclopedia
Cindy Cohn is an American
attorney
specializing in Internet
law. She represented Daniel J. Bernstein
and the Electronic Frontier Foundation
in Bernstein v. United States
, and in 1997 was recognized by California Lawyer Magazine
as one of the Lawyers of the Year for this work. She currently serves as Legal Director and General Counsel
for the Electronic Frontier Foundation
. In 2006, Ms. Cohn was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. Ms. Cohn also serves on the Board of Directors of the nonprofits Human Rights Advocates and the Verified Voting Foundation.
She studied law at the University of Michigan
. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa
and the London School of Economics
.
In addition to Bernstein, some of Ms. Cohn's significant cases include Hepting v. AT&T
(class action against AT&T for collaborating with the National Security Agency
program to wiretap and data-mine Americans' communications), In re Sony BMG Tech. litigation
(class action against Sony BMG for placing dangerous digital rights management
(DRM) on customers' computers), OPG v. Diebold
(Diebold
was held liable for sending out unfounded cease and desist notices to internet service provider
s (ISPs) in an effort to stop public discussion of the flaws in its electronic voting machines
), and DVDCCA v. Bunner (representing Andrew Bunner against the DVD Copy Control Association
defending his right to republish a computer program that he found republished elsewhere on the Internet).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
specializing in Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
law. She represented Daniel J. Bernstein
Daniel J. Bernstein
Daniel Julius Bernstein is a mathematician, cryptologist, programmer, and professor of mathematics at the University of Illinois at Chicago...
and the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
in Bernstein v. United States
Bernstein v. United States
Bernstein v. United States is a set of court cases brought by Daniel J. Bernstein challenging restrictions on the export of cryptography from the United States....
, and in 1997 was recognized by California Lawyer Magazine
California Lawyer Magazine
California Lawyer is a monthly legal magazine based in San Francisco, California. The magazine combines legal news, case commentary, and coverage of technology and business trends. Each issue includes news, reviews, profiles and opinion...
as one of the Lawyers of the Year for this work. She currently serves as Legal Director and General Counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
for the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
. In 2006, Ms. Cohn was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. Ms. Cohn also serves on the Board of Directors of the nonprofits Human Rights Advocates and the Verified Voting Foundation.
She studied law at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
and the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
In addition to Bernstein, some of Ms. Cohn's significant cases include Hepting v. AT&T
Hepting v. AT&T
Hepting v. AT&T is a United States class action lawsuit filed in January 2006 by the Electronic Frontier Foundation against the telecommunications company AT&T, in which the EFF alleges that AT&T permitted and assisted the National Security Agency in unlawfully monitoring the communications of...
(class action against AT&T for collaborating with the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
program to wiretap and data-mine Americans' communications), In re Sony BMG Tech. litigation
2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal
The Sony BMG CD copy protection rootkit scandal concerns the copy protection measures included by Sony BMG on Compact Discs in 2005. Sony BMG included the Extended Copy Protection and MediaMax CD-3 software on music CDs. XCP was put on 52 titles and MediaMax was put on 50 titles...
(class action against Sony BMG for placing dangerous digital rights management
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
(DRM) on customers' computers), OPG v. Diebold
OPG v. Diebold
OPG v. Diebold, 337 F. Supp. 2d 1195 , more officially known as Online Policy Group , Nelson Chu Pavlosky, and Luke Thomas Smith v. Diebold, Incorporated and Diebold Election Systems, Incorporated , was a lawsuit involving an archive of Diebold's internal company e-mails and Diebold's contested...
(Diebold
Diebold
Diebold, Inc. is a United States-based security systems corporation that is engaged primarily in the sale, manufacture, installation and service of self-service transaction systems , electronic and physical security products , and software and integrated systems for global financial and...
was held liable for sending out unfounded cease and desist notices to internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s (ISPs) in an effort to stop public discussion of the flaws in its electronic voting machines
Voting machine
Voting machines are the total combination of mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic equipment , that is used to define ballots; to cast and count votes; to report or display election results; and to maintain and produce any audit trail information...
), and DVDCCA v. Bunner (representing Andrew Bunner against the DVD Copy Control Association
DVD Copy Control Association
The DVD Copy Control Association is an organization primarily responsible for the copy protection of Blu-ray Discs and DVDs. The Content Scramble System was devised for this purpose to make copyright infringement difficult, but also presents obstacles to some legitimate uses of the media...
defending his right to republish a computer program that he found republished elsewhere on the Internet).