[12193] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Anti-Canter Fodder for Providers?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David H. Rothman)
Mon May 9 04:05:38 1994
Date: Mon, 09 May 94 01:17:08 -0400
To: com-priv@psi.com
From: "David H. Rothman" <rothman@clark.net>
Reply-To: rothman@netcom.com
*Lots* of Internet providers want to Canter-proof their contracts. The
specifics below might lead to a few ideas.
"Customer hereby agrees:
"--To refrain from mass, unsolicited 'e-mailing' of advertisements for
commercial purposes.
"--Not to post obvious, commercial advertisements except in newsgroups
and other areas with 'for.sale,' 'market,' and similar language in their
names; areas where most participants are used to frequent practices of
this kind; or 'signatures' of eight lines or less, at the ends of
messages. 'Advertisements' shall not include references to the
customer's professional or business services, as mentioned in the
natural flow of online discussion. Such references are permitted, as is
material revealing the customer's professional or business expertise.
"--To respect the conventions of the newsgroups, lists, and networks to
which the customer is posting, including rules more restrictive than
the above.
"--To conserve network bandwidth by refraining from massive
cross-postings.
"--To abide by River City Internet Services' interpretation of the
above. When in doubt, customers may query River City via electronic mail
in advance--with the understanding that River City need not respond to
large numbers of such queries from individual customers or their
clients. River City shall define 'large numbers.'"
I may even be stealing from some of the language in the contract with
my own provider ;-).
These restrictions would still allow advertising on the Internet,
including the passive, WWW-style variety, where advertisers offer useful
information to reel in readers. In fact, such rules would *aid* the 'Net
advertising business. They would help channel the material to the
appropriate newsgroups established for this purpose.
Needless to say, CIX might want to require the above restrictions on
traffic carried by members. Ideally no one could join CIX without
agreeing to insert such clauses in customer contracts.
<David H. Rothman, non-Esq.,
rothman@clark.net, 703-370-6540>
