Xref: utzoo news.admin:12549 news.misc:6194 comp.mail.uucp:6004 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uunet!bfmny0!tneff From: tneff@bfmny0.BFM.COM (Tom Neff) Newsgroups: news.admin,news.misc,comp.mail.uucp Subject: Re: New rules for UUPSI Message-ID: <44380212@bfmny0.BFM.COM> Date: 6 Mar 91 10:42:50 GMT References: <1991Mar05.190548.22965@ariel.unm.edu> <1991Mar5.203714.26335@uu.psi.com> <39895@cup.portal.com> Reply-To: tneff@bfmny0.BFM.COM (Tom Neff) Followup-To: news.admin Lines: 53 In article <39895@cup.portal.com> AMillar@cup.portal.com (Alan DI Millar) writes: >Ok, give us the facts. So far all I've heard is people reporting that >PSI will not allow you to relay mail from/to anyone else, making you >strictly a leaf. Is this the case or not? Since Mail and UseNet are >the subject at hand, maybe PSI or one of the offended customers would >like to post the full text of the new contract, so we can all see >exactly what it is we are talking about. I am neither PSI nor a customer, but they sent me a sales folder this week, including their standard Usenet/mail contract. Included in the packet were all sorts of promotional materials and a cover letter, with the joys of internetworking described at length, but NO mention of 3rd-party limitations anywhere. Here are some excerpts from the contract. Terms marked ** are never defined! Boy, do these guys need a good contracts lawyer. ------------------- "This contract is by and between Performance Systems International, Inc., ... ('PSI') and the Customer (as above) for provision by PSI or its subcontractors of certain electronic communications services. "1. Licensee** desires an Electronic Mail and/or USENET News feed. Payments received after..." etc etc "7. PSI, Inc. [instead of 'PSI' as defined in the preamble - ed], or other relevant authorities may determine inappropriate usage of this account** and the privilege may be revoked at PSI's discretion. Should this occur, Licensee will be informed in writing of this action. "10. As this is a fixed price service, no third party traffic outside of the organization** or its staff is allowed. Specifically, 1: no electronic mail whatsoever from another organization should be sent OR RECEIVED [emphasis added -- ed] through UUPSI**; 2: if USENET/NEWS** is fed to another organization, no posting from that third party organization should be sent through UUPSI." ------------------- If paragraph 10 were enforced as written, customers would be unable to receive mail from anyone except within their own site or from PSI employees, since no mail from a third party should be received through UUPSI! Astonishing. I seriously question whether PSI knows what its own contract says. Paragraph 10 does appear to allow one-way news subfeeds, if the subfed sites never post anything. All in all this is a (rather clumsily worded) leaf site contract. Leaf site status is never mentioned in PSI's advertising to the best of my knowledge, but once they land you, there's the language.