[10002] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
West sued by Matthew Bender
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Alan Sugarman)
Thu Feb 3 16:15:11 1994
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 1994 16:10:38 -0500 (EST)
From: Alan Sugarman <sugarman@panix.com>
To: compriv <com-priv@psi.com>
FOR RELEASE IMMEDIATELY
HYPERLAW, INC.
HYPERLAW, INC. ANNOUNCES SUPPORT OF COPYRIGHT DECLARATORY
JUDGMENT ACTION BROUGHT BY MATTHEW BENDER AGAINST WEST
PUBLISHING
February 3, 1994, New York - HyperLaw, Inc., electronic
publisher of FEDERAL APPEALS ON DISC tm and UNITED STATES
SUPREME COURT ON DISC tm CD-ROMs announced today that it
intends to intervene in the declaratory judgment action
against West Publishing Company filed by Matthew Bender in
the United States District Court for the Southern District
of New York on Tuesday, February 1, 1994.
Matthew Bender is seeking a declaratory judgment as to the
validity of the copyrights West claims in the pagination of
its reporters of legal decisions.
The case has been assigned to Judge Loretta Preska, who was
appointed in 1992. The case number is 94-CIV-0589. Matthew
Bender is represented by David Blasband of New York's
Deutsch, Klagsbrun & Blasband, 212-758-1100. The telephone
number of the public information department at Matthew
Bender & Company is 212-216-8024.
Alan D. Sugarman, President of HyperLaw, explained that
HyperLaw wishes to have certain issues determined
separately, and has previously attempted to obtain from West
a clarification of its sweeping copyright claims of public
records after the Feist decision. Sugarman said "We do not
want the water to be muddied by side issues such as
allegations of wholesale copying of West reporters, issues
of how West selects cases to print, or by any counter-claims
that West might bring."
HyperLaw says it also seeks to assure that the federal
courts avoid any appearance of impropriety. West provides a
$15,000 award to a federal judge every year. Even though
other judges select the winner, West operates the award
project out of its public relations department and collects
recommendations for the award. "As the award is set up and
operated, it does not present a good image for a sitting
judge considering a case this important to West to be even
technically eligible for such a cash award."
*****
For HyperLaw product information, contact HyperLaw, Inc.,
P.O. Box 1176, New York, NY 10023; Information 212-787-
2812; 800-825-6521; Facsimile 212-496-4138
*****
For information concerning this release, contact:
Alan D. Sugarman
212-873-1371
Internet sugarman@panix.com, Compuserve 70461,2251.
releasefeb03994
