From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!npois!cbosgd!mark
Newsgroups: net.followup
Title: Re: Massive copyright violations on the net
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.2878
Posted: Fri Dec 10 13:11:07 1982
Received: Sat Dec 11 03:34:00 1982
Reply-To: mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton)
References: arizona.1267

Look, you're getting it wrong.  It may be a copyright violation to post
copyrighted things on USENET, but there is no way you can sue the net
(or an individual site) or bring down the net.  That's like making the
CB radio band illegal because somebody uses profanity on the air.
It's like arresting your mailman because he delivered a letter whose
contents are a threat to the life of the president.

The network as a whole is not responsible for assuring that the things
posted to it are free and clear.  Neither is a particular site.  The
person responsible (that's PERSON, you can't throw a machine in jail)
is the one who posted it in the first place.  S/he knew (or should have
known) that by posting it, they are making 400 copies and distributing
them to 10000 people.  We should make people aware that they should
not post copyrighted material without permission, but the network as
a whole is not threatened.

	Mark