[10509] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
CONVERGENCE: BENDER/VORHEES/WEST/COPYRIGHT
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (CFMSKI@delphi.com)
Fri Feb 25 19:44:37 1994
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 1994 15:35:19 -0500 (EST)
From: CFMSKI@delphi.com
To: com-priv@psi.com
X-Vms-To: INTERNET"com-priv@psi.com"
CONVERGENCE AGAIN: COPYRIGHTS, BENDER, and VORHEES <grin>!
>> Anyway, if this list (usually) is about commercialization and
>> privatization of net, it is about copyright. The owners of the
>> information on the net will determine who accesses their information
>> and ultimately the structure of the net. Just as they do now.
>> IMHO, a network setup by universities, NSF, and r&d departments
>> will give way to a network owned by copyright holders.
Peter B wrote:
>As far as I can see there is nothing
>inherent in the arrival of a commerce model for
>information (and thus a commercial Internet) that would
>force the existing free information sources off the net.
I hadn't really meant that free sources would be pushed off the net, though
reduced access to them may be a logical consequence. We all know that sources
of all sorts are increasing, chief among them *.com. (I'm building a mixed
free/commercial source myself.)
The point was nothing fantastic, just that the network will evolve to
accomodate those who pay for it and those who make it pay for the owners.
What is the network, really, other than "owned information" (copyright
in various forms) and access to it?
Today (15feb94) I found on another list:
> Date: Mon, 14 Feb 1994 10:42:11 -0800
> From: "Glenn S. Tenney" <tenney@NETCOM.COM>
> Subject: Re: Federal Register and copywrites
>
> At 9:34 AM 2/14/94 -0800, Kurt Hanselmann, wrote: (on COMMUNET LISTSERV)
> >I have really messed up. I sent out the Federal Register notice yesterda
> >before thinking about the copywrite of the electronic version. There is
> >so much of it laying around here, that I tend to consider it a public
> >document. However, the electronic version is not. It is prepared
> >for electrionic viewing by Counterpoint publishing and is available
> >through the Internet Company by a licensing agreement.
>
> What? Do you mean that Counterpoint is cls no hint they do
anything at all like that now; I have no experience with other services.)
If that provider were also a carrier, why would it allow you to get to its
competitors?
I do suspect that many general sources may not be easily available
under a defacto NTIA model merging providers and carriers because of
the copyright issues. If info you want is free somewhere but they can
provide it pay-for-view, why would they let you get it free? Suppose
TvTelco sets up a pay-for-view document mirror for the Fe 207 657 4963 voice
208 Portland Road, Gray, ME 04039 207 657 5078 data
