US District Court Ruling Absolves Skylink Technologies From Alleged Violation of Digital Millennium Copyright Act By Chamberlain Group
US district court summary judgment ruling in favor of Skylink bolsters free enterprise market – diminishes use of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Ontario, Canada, November 25, 2003 – Skylink Technologies Inc., a Canadian company distributing wireless garage door openers, home security and monitoring products, today announced that a summary judgment motion filed earlier this year defending the company against a complaint by the Chamberlain Group for alleged violation of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was granted by Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer of the US District Court, Northern District of Illinois on November 13th. Skylink Technologies was targeted by a competitor, the Elmhurst, Ill-based Chamberlain Group, for distributing aftermarket, compatible universal transmitters for garage door openers (GDOs). Chamberlain alleged that because Skylink’s transmitter could open a Chamberlain-brand GDO, it violated the DMCA. The DMCA legislation was passed by the US Congress in 1998 to amend the U.S. copyright law by strengthening the protection for authors and other “content creators” in the face of widespread duplication of content – due in part to the proliferation of digital technologies. The law has been the subject of intense controversy and debate as several companies, including Chamberlain, have sought to use the law to limit the ability of third-parties, like Skylink Technologies, to offer competing and interoperable products. Skylink claimed, and the court agreed, that because an individual owns the garage and garage door opener, he or she has lawful authorization to open the garage door with any device he or she chooses. In her decision, Judge Pallmeyer sided with Skylink, rejecting Chamberlain’s argument that a garage door owner violates the DMCA if he or she loses the original transmitter and continues to operate the garage door with an after-market GDO. “The homeowner has a legitimate expectation that he or she will be able to access the garage even if his or her transmitter is misplaced or malfunctions,” stated the Court. “We are very pleased with the Court’s ruling in our favor. This ruling will encourage free market competition which benefits the consumer. We believe that Chamberlain’s attempt to use the DMCA against Skylink was simply an effort by a large corporation to limit a much smaller company’s ability to compete in the marketplace and offer choices to consumers. We are gratified that the District Court has allowed consumers to select whatever brand of transmitter they want to use to open their own garages,” explained Philip Tsui, CEO of Skylink Technologies. “We are happy that the court has not interpreted the DMCA in a manner beyond which it was intended. As a result, competition will not be limited. We are grateful that Skylink Technologies was able to make a stand on such an important legal issue. ” About Skylink Technologies Skylink Technologies distributes a variety of universal garage door accessories, wireless security systems and emergency dialer devices. Contact Skylink Technologies at 2213 Dunwin Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1X1; Phone: (800) 304-1187; Fax: (800) 286-1320; website: skylinkhome.com. For online sales, click on the following link to our Skylink item page: /skylink.html