Re: Internet sites that have been shut down - Reply

From: John Noble <jnoble[_at_]dgs.dgsys.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 09:42:46 -0500

At 5:45 PM 12/8/94 -0500, SCHLACHTERE[_at_]CGC.COM wrote:
>I have had a chance to review my files and I came up with the
>following list of copyright infringement "incidents" in
>cyberspace.
> [snip]
>* In US v. LaMacchia, the government is seeking a wire fraud
>conviction against a sysop who helped himself to space on MIT's
>computers and this space was used to trade pirated software.
>LaMacchia's lawyers say that the federal government is using the
>wire fraud claim to circumvent a Congressional decision that such
>actions were not copyright violations. [E.g., Pamela Coyle, Techno
>Trials, ABA Journal, 10/94 at 66].

Clarification: LaMacchia is arguing that the government may not use the wire fraud statute to circumvent a congressional determination that such actions, i.e. not-for-profit infringement, is not a *criminal* violation. If you want more information about this interesting case, check out the David LaMacchia Defense Fund on the web at http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/dldf/home.html

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John F. Noble, Editor
Computer Law Reporter
jnoble[_at_]dgs.dgsys.com Received on Fri Dec 09 1994 - 14:51:18 GMT