> It would seem to me the issue of westlaw could be
> averted, if someone
> would just create a open source server and allow
> self post all briefs from
> all courts?
> why would such an idea be impossible?
> sterling
>
>
Not impossible, but there is no strong push for it either. Where is the incentive? (Read incentive to mean money.)
While there are many who gripe about WL fees, you will not find many attorneys going out of their way to avoid these fees. The reason is that most firms negotiate annual rates or reduced fees with WL and Lexis and then charge their clients the published rates. Therefore, the more outrageous the published rates the better it is for large firms.
I worked for a firm that prohibited free or low cost downloads of patents (commonly available for nothing to $3) because the library was a major revenue center and charged $10-$15 per download. For a large IP firm this can add up to significant revenue.
Our internal firm logo was "You think our hourly rates are high, you should see our fees!"
Keith
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