[10404] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: On disclosing proprietary details...
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Alan Sugarman)
Mon Feb 21 15:40:24 1994
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 1994 15:29:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Alan Sugarman <sugarman@panix.com>
To: Peter Deutsch <peterd@bunyip.com>
Cc: "Dick St.Peters" <stpeters@spare-parts.crd.ge.com>, cook@path.net,
In-Reply-To: <9402211810.AA07818@expresso.bunyip.com>
I cannot argue with you that proprietary details must be disclosed just to
do business with the government. If it were not for SEC disclosure
requirments, some companies would argue that their annual profit or names
of officers was proprietary, or that the mere submission of a proposal was
proprietary.
I am trying to obtain a contract, not a proposal, from the government. I
cannot obtain it, and the agency claims it is exempt from FOIA. The
contractor claims the contract is a secret, and objects to any disclosure.
In particular, the contractor objects to disclosure of what it charges.
What is the subject of the contract -- printing court slip opinions. The
agency, the Aministrative Office of US Courts just stonewalls. Now, the
question is whether the pricing should be made public -- it could reveal
overcharging by the contractor, or low balling so as to permit the
contractor to obtain control over the data.
So sometimes, proprietary is used to protect anything that would call the
contract into question or might reveal other agendas.
There is a difference between trade secrets and that which is embarassing.
No easy answers!!!
Alan
