Peter D. Junger (1933 – November 2006) was a
computer law professor and
Internet activist, most famous for having fought against the U.S. government's regulations of and
export controls on encryption software.
The case, ''
Junger v. Daley'' (6th Cir. 2000), held that computer
source code
In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the ...
is protected by the
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
. The US government prohibited publication of
encryption software
Encryption software is software that uses cryptography to prevent unauthorized access to digital information. Cryptography is used to protect digital information on computers as well as the digital information that is sent to other computers over t ...
on the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
, arguing that encryption software was a "
munition" subject to
export
An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...
controls. Junger filed suit in 1996 challenging the regulations.
Junger also did significant legal theoretical work on the interplay between intellectual property, computer law, and the First Amendment. He defined himself as a "First Amendment absolutist."
Biography
Junger grew up in Wyoming, graduating from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1955 and
Harvard Law School in 1958. From January 1959 to December 1960 he was an enlisted man in the U.S. Army serving in West Germany. After practicing law from 1961 to 1970, he accepted a faculty position at
Case Western Reserve University's School of Law. He retired and was Professor of Law Emeritus in 2001.
Junger was also a practicing
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
, president of his local Buddhist Temple from 2003 to 2006.
Peter Junger died in November, 2006, at the age of 73 at his home in Cleveland. He was survived by his mother, Genevieve Junger (born 1901).
References and notes
External links
Peter D. Junger's websitePeter Junger's blog("Samsara's Blog")
1933 births
2006 deaths
Free speech activists
Internet activists
Computer law scholars
Computer law activists
Cryptography law
Cypherpunks
First Amendment scholars
Harvard University alumni
American legal scholars
Harvard Law School alumni
Case Western Reserve University faculty
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