[1190] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Forwarded from PACS-L Digest
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Martin L. Schoffstall)
Wed Aug 14 13:37:54 1991
In-Reply-To: <CMM.0.90.2.682032213.ittai@shemesh.ans.net>
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 91 12:32:52 -0400
To: "Ittai Hershman" <ittai@shemesh.ans.net>
Cc: "stev knowles" <stev@ftp.com>, "Martin Lee Schoffstall" <schoff@psi.com>,
From: "Martin L. Schoffstall" <schoff@mail.psi.net>
Ittai,
We clear disagree as to what has happened, guess we'll have to agree to
disgree, but you have confirmed that there was a briefing under a
confidentiality agreement. And that you do have your lawyers present
in your meetings. I'm really amazed that you lawyer is so technical and
involved in product planning, etc, I want to meet him!
Maybe you could fill in some details from your posting:
(1) who formed the ANS advisory group, ANS or FARRNET, it is not clear
from you message. One assumes that this advisory group advises on what
to do on the "private ANSNet" (sometime i'd like to explore those quotes),
not the public policy NSFNet.
(2) I assume that you have informed everyone that those confidentiality
agreements are no longer in effect in writing.
Lastly, I don't think Stev was talking about IBM at all, my postings try to
focus on ANS and what it is doing, I just mentioned that there was an
IBM person/lawyer there, just like you mentioned that FARNET executive
was there.
I don't thiink IBM is a monster, and I resent the accusation, and the
smoke screen.
Marty
-----------
>Interesting reaction. Rather than replying to Marty's note
>publically, I sent him private e-mail asking him to if he was sure of
>his facts because I intended to verify them. He replied that he was
>sure of his facts.
>
>It turns out that the facts are a bit different from Marty's
>recollection.
>
> 1) A single meeting was held in which a confidentiality
> agreement was signed. It was when Al Weis presented
> advance notice of the formation of ANS (i.e. prior to
> the existence of ANS!) to the FARNet Executive Committee.
> No lawyers were present. And, as a matter of fact, one
> of the CIX's founding members was present.
>
> 2) Immediately after the formation of ANS, a group called
> the ANS Regional Advisory Group was formed. That group
> represented many of the NSF non-profit midlevels (including
> Nysernet, the midlevel from which PSI was formed). That
> group was never asked to sign any confidentiality or non-
> disclosure agreements. And no lawyers were present (except
> for ANS's in-house counsel who was there to discuss possible
> new service offerings).
>
>So, I hate to break it to you, Stev, but we simply aren't the monster
>that you think IBM has unleashed on the Internet world. It just ain't
>so -- no matter how many times Marty insinuates it on these forums.
>
>-Ittai
