Xref: utzoo news.admin:4755 sci.electronics:5084 comp.sys.ibm.pc:24489
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!gatech!kong!emory!stiatl!john
From: john@stiatl.UUCP (John DeArmond)
Newsgroups: news.admin,sci.electronics,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: The reality of Copyrights (was Re: network public domain?)
Message-ID: <3042@stiatl.UUCP>
Date: 9 Feb 89 22:47:54 GMT
References: <1391@mtunb.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: john@stiatl.UUCP (John DeArmond)
Organization: Sales Technologies Inc., Atlanta, GA
Lines: 47

In article <1391@mtunb.ATT.COM> dmt@mtunb.UUCP (Dave Tutelman) writes:
>
>Let me encourage anyone who's following this discussion to read John's
>thoughtful note in news.admin (NOT net.admin), message <3025@stiatl.UUCP>.
                                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sorry about that :-)

>I continue to feel the analogy between the net and the public library
>is a good one.
>
>|    Dave Tutelman						|

Dave,

No flame war here.  I think this discussion will do some good in the end.
I sit tight on most issues on the net but sometimes I just can't resist
the urge to jump in and add a reality check to a discussion.

So I alter slightly an earlier statement - "Anything posted to Usenet
becomes defacto public domain" <---- my term, not a legal definition.
And anybody who thinks a copyright attached to a Usenet posting confers
any *REAL* protection is simply fooling themselves.

The fact of the matter is that with a few exceptions, whoever has the most
money wins in court.  AT&T could release something to the public domain and
STILL cream you for copying it just because they can feed and cultivate
a den of lawyers longer than you can.  If anyone likes to gamble against
odds only slightly better than the state Lotto, then take a shot at 
copyright enforcement.  Otherwise forget it.

As I mentioned in my previous posting, My real concern is the effect 
the Copyright Wars are having on the network.  I personally consider the
net to be my most valuable professional resource, placing right next to
my editor and compiler.  To jepardize it's existence with neglegent threats
of firing volleys of lawyers is unexcusable.  Brad knows better than this 
and so do the rest of these chest-thumpers.

Well, we've beaten this dead dog enough.  I'm stopping with this posting.
I hope that no permanent damage has been done.  So ... back to the 
pursuit of life, liberty and net.access forever.

john


-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC                     | Manual? ... What manual ?!? 
Sales Technologies, Inc.    Atlanta, GA    | This is Unix, My son, You 
...!gatech!stiatl!john                     | just GOTTA Know!!!