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From: webber@brandx.rutgers.edu (Webber)
Newsgroups: news.admin,misc.legal
Subject: Suing usenet? (Re: Responsibility for postings.)
Message-ID: <467@brandx.rutgers.edu>
Date: Sun, 11-Oct-87 03:21:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: brandx.467
Posted: Sun Oct 11 03:21:34 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 12-Oct-87 21:29:39 EDT
References: <4611@videovax.Tek.COM> <2488@sigi.Colorado.EDU> <2679@xanth.UUCP> <4614@videovax.Tek.COM>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 25
Summary: Aw, it ain't that long.  Go ahead and read the whole thing.
Xref: mnetor news.admin:1152 misc.legal:3082

In article <4614@videovax.Tek.COM>, stever@videovax.Tek.COM (Steven E. Rice, P.E.) writes:
> ...  If a broad lawsuit were filed against the USENET in general,
> or against a few prominent site owners and administrators, the results
> would be catastrophic! ...

This is an interesting claim, but your application is to small.  Think
of the profits being lost to Commercial Networks due to the number of
people that prefer to use the ``freebee Usenet.''  Think of the
Communications Services that have lost money becauses it is cheaper
to send a message over Usenet than it is to pay for overnight delivery.
Think of the journals that have lost readers because it is cheaper
to subscribe to a micro group than to subscribe to a micro journal.
Think of the headhunters that have lost customers to misc.jobs.wanted.
Think of the companies that have lost business due to messages on
misc.consumers.  Recall the businessman who was accused of fraud on
news.announce.important earlier this year.

All of these groups don't rent lawyers, they own them.  They regularly
use those lawyers as a part of corporate strategy to maximize profit.

Now, you tell me that they don't even have to go to court, just file
papers and their troubles will be over.  And you think the big threat
is participants in a flame war over on soc.women?????????????????????

----- BOB (webber@aramis.rutgers.edu ; rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!webber)