Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Changes to the monthly postings (for rec.humor.funny)
Keywords: administivia
Message-ID: <2718@looking.UUCP>
Date: 4 Feb 89 00:31:00 GMT
References: <2706@looking.UUCP> <2844@epimass.EPI.COM> <2714@looking.UUCP> <2847@epimass.EPI.COM>
Reply-To: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd.
Lines: 45

OK folks, if you really want to apply the principle that a moderator's
compilation copyright over a moderated group doesn't mesh with USENET,
then the following things have to go (or have their copyrights ignored):

A) The OtherRealms fanzine
B) All postings that say, "you may only redistribute this if your
   recipients may."
C) Matt Crawford's rec.humor postings which prohibit my redistribution
   of them in rec.humor.funny
D) All "freeware" software that allows free non-commercial use, but prohibits
   or restricts people from selling it.
   (This includes, as far as I know, "rn", "inews" and other programs that
   the net would have trouble doing without.)
E) All GNU software (Really a special case of class D)
F) rec.humor.funny

Compilation copyright of an ongoing database or on-line service is a
well established principle, in spite of what have been said here.

I will admit people seem more worried about this than I expected.  Let
me say that in no way am I out looking for legal actions or the removal
of sections of the net from the distribution list.  Nobody is going to
become an unwitting copyright violator because they forward groups to
neighbours.  Unless this attack forces me off usenet, I have no plans
to interfere in any way with the actions of free usenet sites.

At the same time, all the policies and rights I detailed have always
existed for me and for all other moderators who don't renounce them.  I
have merely clarified them, and left some avenues open for me to deal with
a certain small group of people who are out trying to wreck my life because
I moderate this group.  Right now there's nobody I plan to say no to,
other than some of those who wish to destroy the group.

On the other hand, if Compuserve could carry this group without asking me,
and they got 40,000 readers like USENET, and the readers spent 30 seconds
on each joke, Compuserve would draw $200,000 PER MONTH in connect time from
it.  Some of you are saying that I can't have a policy that would control
that.

Actually, that number looks nice and big.  Perhaps I will follow the
instructions of some of the attackers here in news.admin and give the group
its own hierarchy that is charged for...   I'm being semi-serious here,
at least if the attacks keep up.
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd.  --  Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473