Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!network!ucsd!orion.cf.uci.edu!uci-ics!zardoz!ccicpg!cci632!rit!tropix!moscom!ur-valhalla!uhura.cc.rochester.edu!rochester!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!sceard!mrm
From: mrm@sceard.UUCP (M.R.Murphy)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Live News & Professional Electronic Publications in USENET Format
Message-ID: <896@sceard.UUCP>
Date: 22 Jul 89 01:01:19 GMT
References: <3492@looking.on.ca>
Reply-To: mrm@sceard.UUCP (0040-M.R.Murphy)
Organization: Sceard Systems, Inc.  San Marcos, CA  92069
Lines: 39

In article <3492@looking.on.ca> clarinet@looking.on.ca writes:
+Announcing ClariNet -- Professional Electronic Publishing to the
+	multiuser computer network community.
+
[stuff deleted...]
+On the other hand, the issue of the transmission of commercial information
+over certain large sections of the internet is uncertain.  Contrary to
+popular belief, there is currently no fixed policy on all networks other
+than MILNET.  Such a policy is under active consideration by network
+authorities, and a proposal regarding ClariNet is before them.   Forget
+about what you heard about Internet rules.  We talked to the folks at
+the very top.
+
+Until such time as a policy is decided, it is our belief that if you
+are an authorized internet user, and *you* request that you receive
+your subscription via internet, then this constitutes a legitimate use
+of that network -- after all, it exists to give you easier access to the
+information and facilities you desire.
+
+Thus if you request that your subscription be transmitted via the internet,
+this will be done.  Should authorities for your section of the internet
+decide that this is not acceptable at a later date, we may no longer be
+able to honour your request.  If you are unable to arrange any alternate
+feed in these hypothetical circumstances, the unused portion of your
+subscription will be refunded.

Though the offer of refund seems reasonable enough, the remainder of the
three paragraphs above seem just a bit off the wall. Especially so is the
suggestion to "Forget about what you heard about Internet rules." BTW,
who are the "folks at the very top" ? The commercial use of the Internet
may well be in question, but such suggestions as that above don't seem to
be well thought.

The folks at uunet seem to have been somewhat careful by marking Internet
links as terminal. Will ClariNet (tm?) do the same?

---
Mike Murphy  Sceard Systems, Inc.  544 South Pacific St. San Marcos, CA  92069
mrm@Sceard.COM        {hp-sdd,nosc,ucsd,uunet}!sceard!mrm      +1 619 471 0655