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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: news.stargate
Subject: Re: on `why not do it both ways.'
Message-ID: <7967@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-Apr-87 11:39:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.7967
Posted: Mon Apr 27 11:39:34 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Apr-87 11:39:34 EDT
References: <965@vortex.UUCP> <7946@utzoo.UUCP> <7947@utzoo.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 33

> ... There is no legal reason to do this.  If it is illegal
> to broadcast a particular message over a satellite link, then it is
> doubtless illegal to broadcast it over phone links or over networks
> in public universities and companies...

Unfortunately, there *is* a legal reason to do it:  real, true broadcasts
and point-to-point phone calls are *not* identical in the eyes of the law.
There is a lot of uncertainty as to just how Stargate would be treated if
it came to a court case, but it resembles a radio broadcast a whole lot
more than it resembles a phone system.

To the extent that your argument holds water at all, what it shows is that
our current scheme is legally dubious:  if what we are doing is truly
broadcasting, then laws about libel etc. most assuredly do apply, and the
only thing that saves us is the lack of any central organization to be sued.

> Anyway, there is no degree of
> moderation that can prevent you from eventually being sued.  After
> all, newspapers with paid legal counsel still get sued...

Actually, there is nothing that can prevent you from eventually being sued,
especially in the US.  However, you do have a choice between trying to
discourage people from doing so, or sticking your neck out and hoping that
nobody will chop it off.  The people behind Stargate evidently don't consider
either their necks or Stargate's to be expendable.

I would expect that Stargate would eventually have paid legal counsel, by
the way.  See above comments on central organizations:  any visible central
point is just asking for lawsuits, and does have to be prepared for the
possibility.
-- 
"If you want PL/I, you know       Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
where to find it." -- DMR         {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry