> One of the publishers has recently requested that I stop all copyrighted
> material from going to the list, with the veiled threat of criminal
> action.
Civil action is much more likely. To get a criminal case going, the
publisher would probably have to convince some DA that you were stealing
sufficiently valuable material to make it worth pursuing, and I don't know
that there are many prosecutors out there looking to pursue the Internet
as a serious source of white collar crime based on copyright infringement.
> Any experience with this? Any opinions?
Opinions we all have in abundance. :-)
Most of us are in similar straits, performing moderation after-the-fact, or
as I prefer to label it, moderation by intimidation.
Peer pressure, public rebukes, and swift and sure punishments by the
list manager will IMHO deal with most copyright problems on lists, though
if your subscribers are used to getting away with it, you've got an uphill
battle on your hands regaining some measure of control.
Keep in mind it is YOUR list. If anybody gets sued, YOU are at the top
of the chart. And when you get the usual 'freedom of the press' or
'freedom of speech' moans, remember that freedom of the press guarantees
only apply to those who own the printing press, which in the case of a
mailing list means YOU, and freedom of speech doesn't mean that YOU have
to pay for or build someone else's soapbox.
--
Mike Nolan
