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Computer underground Digest Wed July 2, 1997 Volume 9 : Issue 52
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ISSN 1004-042X
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Editor: Jim Thomas (cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu)
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News Editor: Gordon Meyer (gmeyer@sun.soci.niu.edu)
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Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
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Shadow Master: Stanton McCandlish
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Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
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Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
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Ian Dickinson
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Field Agent Extraordinaire: David Smith
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Cu Digest Homepage: http://www.soci.niu.edu/~cudigest
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CONTENTS, #9.52 (Wed, July 2, 1997)
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File 1--Federal Court invalidates Georgia anonymity law
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File 2--Database Protection (fwd/Computer Law Observer)
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File 3--ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update, June 19, 1997
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File 4--CyberSitter threatens critics for linking, infringement
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File 5--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 7 May, 1997)
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CuD ADMINISTRATIVE, EDITORIAL, AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION APPEARS IN
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THE CONCLUDING FILE AT THE END OF EACH ISSUE.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
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Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 07:25:03 -0400
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From: jw@bway.net
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Subject: File 1--Federal Court invalidates Georgia anonymity law
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FEDERAL COURT INVALIDATES GEORGIA ANONYMITY LAW
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Applies "real world" law to the online world
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Contact: Jonathan Wallace
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(718)797-9808
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jw@bway.net
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New York, June 23, 1997--On Friday, a federal court in Georgia
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granted a preliminary injunction against enforcement of a
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Georgia law banning online anonymity and pseudonymity. Judge
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Marvin H. Shoob held the state law to be vague and overbroad
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in his decision in the case of ACLU v. Miller.
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Significantly, Judge Shoob held that the Supreme Court
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case of McIntyre v. Ohio applied to the on-line world.
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In McIntyre, the Supreme Court invalidated an Ohio law
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banning the distribution of political leaflets unless they
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bore the author's name.
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"What's good for the world of print should also apply
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to electronic communications," said Jonathan Wallace,
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a plaintiff in ACLU v. Miller. "There is no solid
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ground for endorsing anonymity in paper leaflets and
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then banning it in Web pages or email. Today, both
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media are used in the same way for political and other
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types of expression. If anonymity promotes diversity
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of discourse in print, as the Supreme Court has recognized,
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then it also should be allowed in the online world."
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Wallace, a New York-based attorney and software executive,
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is the co-author of Sex, Laws and Cyberspace (Henry Holt, 1996)
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about Internet censorship. He was also a co-plaintiff in
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ACLU v. Reno, the case involving the Communications Decency
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Act due to be decided this week by the Supreme Court.
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The text of Judge Shoob's decision can be obtained from
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the Electronic Frontiers of Georgia (http://www.efga.org) and
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ACLU (http://www.aclu.org) Web sites.
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------------------------------
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Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 10:52:54 +0100
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From: wgalkin@LAWCIRCLE.COM(william galkin)
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Subject: File 2--Database Protection (fwd/Computer Law observer)
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Published by
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Challenge Communications
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=============================================================
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May, 1997 Computer Law Observer Issue No. 25
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=============================================================
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The Computer Law Observer is distributed monthly for free by Challenge
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Communications. To subscribe to the Computer Law Observer, simply send
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an e-mail message to listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu with the words
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"subscribe lawobserver" (without the quotation marks) typed into the
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message area. After subscribing, you will receive a message requesting
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that you confirm your subscription. You will need to reply "ok" (without
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the quotation marks) to this message to confirm your subscription. To
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unsubscribe, follow the same procedure, substituting the word
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"unsubscribe." Reposting is permitted, if all reference information is
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included. Copyright 1997 Challenge Communications.
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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JUST THE FACTS: Database protection
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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by William S. Galkin, Esq.
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(biography at end)
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Hard work is recognized as a necessary prerequisite to progress. Even
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the Bible tells us that "[b]y the sweat of your brow you will eat bread
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[Genesis 3:19]." However, there is a fierce debate taking place across
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the globe on this very issue as it relates to databases: should the hard
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work of database developers be rewarded by imposing new limits on
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public access and use of data?
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CURRENT LAW -
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Under U.S. copyright law (which in this respect is similar to the laws
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of many Western countries), databases must have some original or
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creative elements in order to enjoy protection. Individual facts
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themselves receive no protection under copyright law.
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However, when facts are either selected or arranged in an original
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manner, then the resulting work will be granted protection [17 U.S.C.
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Sec. 101]. The opposite is true as well. Where there is no original
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selection or arrangement of data, even though substantial effort and
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expense have been invested, the resulting database will receive no
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copyright protection. Herein lies the Achilles heal of database
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protection.
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In the past, some U.S. courts found this harsh result to be inequitable
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and decided that effort alone should be a basis for granting copyright
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protection. This was known as the "sweat of the brow" approach. However,
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neither the U.S. Copyright Act nor the U.S. Constitution suggest such an
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approach. And, in 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court settled the matter in
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Feist Publications v. Rural Telephone Service [499 U.S. 340 (1991)], by
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denying copyright protection based on effort alone.
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In the Feist case, Rural published a white pages telephone directory for
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part of Kansas. Feist sought permission from Rural to use the data in
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its directory to create a directory covering a larger geographic area.
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Rural refused to grant permission, and Feist then proceeded to copy much
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of Rural's directory. The Supreme Court held that Rural's directory
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enjoyed no copyright protection, because it contained no originality.
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There was no original selection of data, because every person living in
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a certain area was included. And, there was no original arrangement,
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because the names were simply listed in alphabetical order.
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DIGITAL DATA -
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Feist demonstrated the vulnerability of data in hard copy. However, as
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the cost and ease of digital data storage and transfer drops, the
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vulnerability to exploitation of electronic databases dramatically
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increases. Consider the recent case of ProCD, Inc. v. Zeidenberg [86 F3d
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1447 (7th Cir. 1996)], where ProCD spent 10 million dollars to assemble
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more than 95 million business listings from 3,000 telephone directories,
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which it then sold to the public on CD-ROM. The defendant bought one of
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the CDs for a modest fee. He extracted the data, uploaded it to his
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website, and then charged people to access the data. Based on Feist, the
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court held that the data was not protected by copyright because it
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contained no originality. Nevertheless, the court was still able to put
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a halt to this activity by finding that the defendant violated the terms
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of the shrink-wrap license that accompanied the CD-ROM.
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A NEW RIGHT -
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Many have viewed the Feist decision and its progeny as a threat to
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success of the growing database industry. So, in 1992, the European
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Economic Commission responded with a proposal to create a new, sui
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generis, protection that would offer protection for databases that do
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not qualify for copyright protection. On March 11, 1996, this proposal
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was adopted as the Directive on the Legal Protection of Databases
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(Directive) by the European Parliament and the Council of European
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Union.
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The Directive requires members of the European Community to provide, by
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January 1, 1998, for the protection of those databases that would not
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qualify for copyright protection. However, the sui generis protection of
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databases proposed by the Directive does not extend to databases
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developed in countries that do not have laws providing for a similar
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protection. Therefore, the Clinton Administration, apparently out of
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fear that U.S. databases would be plundered by European highwaymen,
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submitted a proposal for the sui generis protection of databases to the
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World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in early 1996. The U.S.
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proposal was similar to a proposal submitted by the European Community
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at the same time.
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It may seem odd that the U.S., which currently offers no sui generis
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protection for databases, would submit a proposal for a treaty to WIPO,
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which if accepted, would eventually require the U.S. to adopt such a
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protection. In an attempt to adjust for this apparent inconsistency, on
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May 23, 1996, the Database Investment and Intellectual Property
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Antipiracy Act was introduced into Congress (HR 3531). The U.S. proposal
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at WIPO and HR 3531 were both drafted without any public debate. These
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actions can best be explained as a short sighted end run effort to
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effect quick passage of enactments that would otherwise give rise to
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substantial debate.
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THE PROVISIONS -
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The provisions of the Directive, the WIPO proposals, and HR 3531 have
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many similar elements. Under these proposals, protection would be
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granted to databases that result from a "substantial investment." This
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is not limited to a monetary investment. Under HR 3531, for example,
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databases will be protected if they result from a substantial investment
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of human, technical, financial or other resources. Additionally, the
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investment does not have to have been devoted to the originating of the
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database, but can apply, under the Directive, to the obtaining,
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verification or presentation of the contents. The protected right
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prohibits others from "using" (HR 3531) or "extracting" (Directive) a
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substantial part of the database. Under HR 3531, "substantial" is
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determined by evaluating whether the use adversely affects the potential
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market for the database. The Directive provides for 15-year protection.
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Whereas, HR 3531 provides for 25 years. These terms are renewable if
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significant changes are made to a database.
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ADEQUACY OF CURRENT PROTECTION -
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At the heart of the current debate is whether the current copyright
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regime is adequate to protect electronic databases. Protection of
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intellectual property is provided for in the U.S. Constitution "[t]o
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promote the Progress of Science and [the] useful Arts." U.S. Const. Art.
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I, Sec. 8, cl.8. Therefore, in order to encourage such activity, we are
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willing to grant the limited monopolistic protections provided by the
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copyright and patent regimes. However, facts, in and of themselves, are
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not the result of creativity, but are rather discovered. Some consider
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creativity to be Constitutionally mandated, and therefore, extending
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protection to facts could be unconstitutional.
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As stated, copyright law requires that there be at least a modicum of
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originality in the selection or arrangement of data. It is questionable
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whether electronic databases have any arrangement at all, or whether the
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arrangement of data is determined merely by the search requests of the
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users. Often, databases will be composed of data that is selected in
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some original manner. However, as the collection, storage and access
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costs of data keep going down, and the demand for databases continues to
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rise, the trend towards truly comprehensive databases (where there is no
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selection) can be expected to increase.
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For these and other reasons, many believe that electronic databases
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require new and additional protection. However, as discussed below, the
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sui generis proposals may end up causing more harm than good.
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POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF SUI GENERIS PROTECTION -
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Fears have been expressed concerning the consequences of implementing
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the sui generis protections as currently contemplated. This new
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protection could result in a barrier to fact gathering by such people as
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journalists, educators, researchers and scientists, who require
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extensive access to information in order to perform their work. Much
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information used by such persons is currently available in the public
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domain or permitted from private sources through various "fair use"
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exceptions to exclusive rights granted to the owners [17 U.S.C. Sec.
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107].
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Additionally, government data that is currently in the public domain may
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no longer be freely available to the public. This is because once a
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substantial investment has been made by a private entity in the
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verification, organization or presentation of the data, then sui generis
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protection may attach to such data.
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Electronic databases are dynamic, always changing and growing. HR 3531
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and the Directive provide that terms of protection can be renewed for
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subsequent terms where there is a change of commercial significance. The
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result would be perpetually renewing protection. Such perpetual
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protection was never contemplated for copyrights and patents, and would
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further limit public access to data.
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HR 3531 prohibits copying except of an "insubstantial part" of the data.
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This would permit copying only where the copying would not be construed
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to adversely affect the potential market for the data. If micro sales
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become possible and popular on the Internet, and individual pieces of
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data could be sold, would there remain a concept of "insubstantial
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part?"
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Due to the extremely high cost of entry, the database industry is
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characterized by a small number of providers. This market monopoly over
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facts, strengthened by a sui generis protection, could be extremely
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detrimental and would go counter to the concept of the free and
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unrestricted exchange of information that the U.S. scientific community
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has long advocated.
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Those advocating sui generis protection claim that commercialization of
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data will encourage, rather than stifle database development. While this
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might be true, no studies have been conducted to support this result.
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ALTERNATIVES TO SUI GENERIS PROTECTION -
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Several alternatives have been suggested to the current proposals for
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sui generis protection.
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One is simply to tailor the sui generis model in order to address many
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of the concerns discussed above. For instance, carve out research and
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education exceptions to the use restrictions. Establish a regime for
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compulsory licensing of data from private databases at rates affordable
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by those needing access while adequately compensating the database
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developers.
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Another alternative is to rely on the laws of misappropriation. For
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instance, in the case of International News Service (INS) v. Associated
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Press (AP) [248 U.S. 215 (1918)], the Supreme Court prohibited INS from
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transmitting AP's uncopyrighted news reports available on the East Coast
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to its reporters on the West Coast. The Court found that a lead time
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advantage was being misappropriated and enjoined INS from transmitting
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the information for as long as there remained commercial advantage in
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the lead time of AP's early reports. However, the application of the law
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of misappropriation to databases would be unpredictable because various
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factors will have to be raised and proved in each case.
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An additional alternative is to simply let the chips fall where they
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may, forcing database developers, without the assistance of monopolistic
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assistance, to compete for business. This competition might take the
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form of providing the best database services, through reliability and
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real-time updates, that no exploiter can compete with. Additionally,
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revenues can follow the current trend on the Internet of selling
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advertising based upon audience size, rather than seeking license fees
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for use.
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CONCLUSION -
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HR 3531 and the U.S. proposal at WIPO were drafted without seeking
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general input from those who would be most directly affected, namely the
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scientific and academic communities. Both HR 3531 and the U.S. proposal
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to WIPO failed to be enacted. However, it is certain that similar
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proposals will resurface in the near future. The next time around, the
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public will be best served if the proposals are subject to full public
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debate. The implications of sui generis protection are potentially
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enormous, and enactments should not be rushed through due to fear of
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foreign competition or simply to ease the fear of U.S. database
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developers.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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Mr. Galkin can be reached for comments or questions about the topic
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discussed in this article as follows:
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E- MAIL: wgalkin@lawcircle.com
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WWW: http://www.lawcircle.com/galkin
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TELEPHONE: 410-356-8853/FAX:410-356-8804
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MAIL: 5907 Key Avenue
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Baltimore, Maryland 21215
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Mr. Galkin is an attorney with over 10 years representing small startup,
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midsized and large companies, across the U.S. and internationally,
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dealing with a wide range of legal issues associated with computers and
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technology, such as developing, marketing and protecting software,
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purchasing and selling complex computer systems, launching and operating
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a variety of online business ventures, and trademark and copyright
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issues. He is a graduate of New York University School of Law and the
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adjunct professor of Computer Law at the University of Maryland School
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of Law.
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------------------------------
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Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 21:33:35 GMT
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From: "ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update Owner"@newmedium.com
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Subject: File 3--ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update, June 19, 1997
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http://www.firstamendment.org/
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A new ACLU/EPIC website
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Take the First Amendment Pledge
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As we all await a Supreme Court decision on the future of free speech on
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the Internet, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy
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Information Center launched www.firstamendment.org, a website dedicated to
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upholding the First Amendment in cyberspace.
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The groups called on President Clinton and members of Congress to be among
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the first to "Take the First Amendment Pledge" and cease any further
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attempts to draft legislation to censor the Internet in the event the
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Supreme Court upholds a lower court decision striking down government
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regulation of the Internet as unconstitutional.
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The launch of the website comes as Clinton Administration officials have
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begun publicly discussing a shift in policy on Internet regulation, saying
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that "industry self-regulation" -- not laws criminalizing certain Internet
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communications -- is the solution to shielding minors from online
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"indecency."
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"Attempts to censor the Net will not end with the Supreme Court decision,"
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said David Sobel, legal counsel for EPIC and co-counsel in Reno v. ACLU.
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"Proponents of Internet content regulation have already indicated their
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desire to take a 'second bite of the apple' if the Communications Decency
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Act is struck down."
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In anticipation of such new attempts at online censorship, visitors to
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www.firstamendment.org are invited to "Take the First Amendment Pledge,"
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which reads: "I pledge to support free speech and free expression for all
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Americans and to urge Congress to uphold the First Amendment to the United
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States Constitution and pass no law abridging our freedom of speech."
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People taking the pledge are encouraged to place the "First Amendment
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Pledge" GIF their own websites.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Day of Decision Events
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As the countdown continues to a Supreme Court ruling in Reno v. ACLU, the
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first-ever case to look at how free speech principles are applied to the
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Internet, the American Civil Liberties Union is preparing to go live on the
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World Wide Web with a cybercast news conference on the day a decision is
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reached.
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Day of Decision Schedule
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1:00 p.m.(E.D.T.) Press Conference and Cybercast
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At the ACLU's new national offices at 125 Broad Street in lower Manhattan.
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Reno v. ACLU attorneys, co-counsel and plaintiffs will participate. The
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live cybercast can be accessed through the ACLU's website,
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http://www.aclu.org, and directly through Pathfinder's Netly News at
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http://www.pathfinder.com/news/netdecency.
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7:00 p.m. (E.D.T.) Live Chat with ACLU Attorneys
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A one-hour chat with ACLU attorneys is planned on ECHO.
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Instructions:
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ECHO chats are open to anyone with Internet access.
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Telnet to echonyc.com, or dial 212-292-0910 with your modem.
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Login as echolive, and communicate directly with the Attorneys.
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Reno v. ACLU challenges censorship provisions of the Communications Decency
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Act aimed at protecting minors by criminalizing so-called "indecency" on
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the Internet. The government appealed the case to the Supreme Court after a
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federal three-judge panel ruled unanimously last June that the law
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unconstitutionally restricts free speech. The ACLU filed a challenge to
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the law the day it was enacted.
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Show your support for the ACLU's challenge to the Communications Decency in
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any -- or all -- of the following ways:
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1) To be notified of a decision in the case by a change in a graphic placed
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on your web site, join our GIF notification Campaign -- instructions can be
|
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found at: http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/trial/instructions.html
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The image will change when the decision is handed down - notifying you, and
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everyone who visits your site.
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2) Take the 1st Amendment Pledge at www.firstamendment.org, a joint
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campaign of the ACLU and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).
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3) Subscribe to the Cyber-Liberties Update. Those of you who already
|
|
receive the update directly will be notified. Those of you who read
|
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forwarded copies are encouraged to subscribe directly using the information
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in the footer of this document.
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4) And the most important way you can show your support is to Join the ACLU.
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Information is available on our website http://www.aclu.org
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update Editor:
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Lisa Kamm (kamml@aclu.org)
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American Civil Liberties Union National Office
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125 Broad Street
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New York, New York 10004
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To subscribe to the ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update, send a message
|
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to majordomo@aclu.org with "subscribe Cyber-Liberties" in the
|
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body of your message. To terminate your subscription, send a
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------------------------------
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Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 17:31:29 -0400
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From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
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Subject: File 4--CyberSitter threatens critics for linking, infringement
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((MODERATORS' NOTE: Brian Milburn, pusher of CyberSitter,
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continues to hound his critics, this time with the threat of a
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lawsuit. Milburn's tactics raise a number of issues, as Declan
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McCullagh indicates))
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Source - fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu
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The following note from Milburn's lawyer, which is more rhetorical than
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reasoned, nevertheless raises two interesting points:
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* Do you have the right to link to someone without their permission?
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* Do you have the right to "open the hood" of software you buy to see if
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it's works as it says it does? (One would think that this is merely reverse
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engineering.)
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Milburn says "no" to both questions. In fact, he wants his critics,
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especially Bennett Haselton, to be prosecuted for distributing software
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that allows you to "open the hood" of CyberSitter. But you can never trust
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lawyer letters. So I called up a U.S. Attorney I know who has had some
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experience in criminal copyright cases. Here's what I was told:
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"What the law says for criminal copyright is that a person has to
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do certain things for commercial advantage or private gain. I
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don't think there's going to be a criminal violation for two
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reasons: 1. There will be a civil remedy if there is one at all.
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2. He's nowhere near commiting a crime. [You'd need to prove a
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criminal mindset.] What he's doing is not criminal."
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So much for Milburn's "potential criminal claims."
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-Declan
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
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Date--Wed, 2 Jul 1997 21:35:25 -0700
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From--"James S. Tyre" <j.s.tyre@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
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To: NETLY-L@relay.pathfinder.com
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Subject--Corporate Intimidation [Was: Re: argh ignore that last msg]
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[...]
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Despite the May 2, 1997 date of what follows (three days before my
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letter to Brian Milburn), Bennett just received this today from an
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attorney purporting to represent Solid Oak. (Bennett hasn't been at
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Vanderbilt for some time, and their mail forwarding system apparently is
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not the best). Note what the attorney says about links.
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-Jim
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--------------------------------
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The Law Offices of Darren K. Miller
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100 North Lasalle Street
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24th Floor
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Chicago, Illinois 60602
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Telephone (312) 346 6363
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Facsimile (312) 346 2209
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May 2, 1997
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VIA CERTIFIED MAIL
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Mr. Bennett Haselton
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Vanderbilt University
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Box 1161, Station B
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Nashville, TN 37235
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Re: Solid Oak Software vs. Vanderbilt University, et al.
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Dear Mr. Haselton:
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We have been retained by Solid Oak Software ("SOS") with reference
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to your web page located at www.peacefire.org. As you know, you have been
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asked by SOS to discontinue publishing and distributing their material
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which is protected by valid copyrights. This includes, but is not limited
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to the CYBERsitter filter file codebreaker, and the links to various
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private addresses at SOS. Your continued disregard for the demands of SOS
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amount to activities which are civil and criminal in nature. Your attempt
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to shield yourself behind the First Amendment does not apply.
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I suggest you read the case of _Religious Technology Center vs.
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Netcom On-Line Communication Services, Inc._, 907 F.Supp 1361 (N.D.Cal.
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1995). Your activities amount at the very least to direct infringement on
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many of the exclusive and protected rights of SOS. As you have no ability
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to raise a fair use defense, SOS may seek injunctive relief as well as
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damages if you do not immediately cease publishing and distributing the
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above material, and providing links to the private addresses within SOS.
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SOS will not begin to discuss releasing you from civil liability,
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or potential criminal claims for your actions unless you immediately
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comply with the above demands.
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Very truly yours,
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Darren K. Miller
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DKM:jlh
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cc: Lee Altschuler, Esq.
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Chief, U.S. Attorneys Office
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Northern District California
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Solid Oak Software
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***************
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Date-- Wed, 2 Jul 1997 10:05:40 -0700
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From--"James S. Tyre" <j.s.tyre@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
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Subject-- Re: our friends at solid oak
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To: NETLY-L@pathfinder.com
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Just to add a few more facts to put the "bug" in perspective, since I
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don't recall mention of this in netly at the time:
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In mid-April, Bennett wrote a program called the codebreaker which, for
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those who had CYBERSitter, decrypted the weakly encrypted filter file
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into plaintext, so that anyone who chose to run the codebreaker program
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could see, in all its glory, all the bad words and bad sites blocked by
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CYBERSitter. The codebreaker was made available for download on
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Peacefire's site on April 22. One of many URLs where one can find the
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decrypted plaintext is:
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http://www.c2.net/~sameer/cybersitter.txt
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On April 24, Brian Milburn, the President of Solid Oak, fired off a
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letter to Bennett, threating civil and/or criminal prosecution. In
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addition to what one might expect in such a nastygram, Milburn actually
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accused Bennett of trespass by linking to Solid Oak. Milburn's letter
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is at:
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http://www.peacefire.org/archives/SOS.letters/bm.2.bh.4.24.97.txt
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The "bug", which Mark Kanter of Solid Oak denies any knowledge of in the
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Wired piece, seems to have first appeared in the CYBERSitter install
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program on April 29. Shirley, this was just a coincidence.
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BTW, on May 5, Bennett's incredibly brilliant and wonderful pro bono
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attorney (ya ya, yada yada) fired off a very tame, reasoned and subdued
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response to Milburn. For anyone who wants to be bored to tears with
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legalspeak, its at:
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http://peacefire.org/archives/SOS.letters/james.tyre.2.bm.txt
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In a huge shocker, little has been heard from Solid Oak since. (Milburn
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was interviewed on about June 3 for a not yet published piece in
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George. He was still making the same threats then, but....)
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------------------------------
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Date: Thu, 7 May 1997 22:51:01 CST
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From: CuD Moderators <cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu>
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Subject: File 5--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 7 May, 1997)
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------------------------------
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End of Computer Underground Digest #9.52
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************************************
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