ASPDMM@UOFT01.BITNET (Bud) (12/02/85)
Hello again, I am curious. I see cryptic "identifications" attached to all the notes that are forwared through this machine, but I really don't know who any of you are, and I'd venture to say that I'm not the only one in the dark. I think it would stimulate our BBS and help establish some meaningful and enjoyable exchange if we knew who was out there, what they know and what they are interested in finding out. I'll start. I'm David Massey. I am a Programmer/Analyst for the University of Toledo I am 29. I have an MBA in computer systems analysis and am currently in the process of earning a JD part time. I'm halfway through. Some of you sound very well-informed about the law. I suspect some of you are in fact practicing lawyers. It might also be interesting to know what parts of the country you are from. I suspect a lot of people don't even know that Toledo is the jewel on the Great Lakes, here in beautiful Ohio, the heart of it all. So, who are you? Bud (that's what I prefer to be called.)
jgg@MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA (John G. Griffith) (12/06/85)
Bud and other netters,
I am presently a systems security engineer working for the MITRE
Corporation. I am interested in computer law as it pertains to the issues
of security and privacy. In my present position, I help develop systems
that protect classified information from unauthorized disclosure, but my
work also pertains to present and future commercial systems.
With the advent of 'Smart' charge cards, computer banking at home,
the increasing use of computers to store and process hospital and legal
records, the problems of personal privacy and computer security are becoming
increasingly intertwined.
Another area that I am interested is liability for correct operation.
What happens when a worker is injured by a robot which is under the control
of a computer program which may have bugs in it? What if there were no
bugs (A hard thing to prove given the technology today). What degree of
testing and analysis is acceptable to prove in a court of law that a program
works correctly and as documented?
Anyway, this message is long enough. Anyone else?
Griffhelbekkmo%vax.runit.unit.uninett@NTA-VAX.ARPA (Tom Ivar Helbekkmo) (12/12/85)
I kind of liked Bud's idea of introducing ourselves a bit. So here goes: I'm Tom Ivar Helbekkmo (call me Tom), and I'm a student of computer science at the Norwegian Institute of Technology at Trondheim, Norway. Now, the way I see it, anybody working with computers ought to know a bit about the legal aspects of programs and programming - not to mention information about people. So, here I am, hoping to glean a bit of knowledge out of you guys - 'cause I have to admit I'm not too knowledgeable myself. I do know that Norwegian and American law in these matters don't differ very much, the main difference being that your laws are more up to date, i.e. more in tune with today's needs. In this country, we're still pretty much at the level of treating a program as a piece of litterature... Copyrighting can be an interesting problem. I guess what I most of all want to find out more about, is just that: The copyright laws. Questions like 'Can I copyright my program?', 'How?', and of course 'Can Ashton-Tate really tell me on-screen that the program I bought isn't mine, I'm just renting it, and it may not necessarily do any- thing useful, and it might destroy my computer, and they're not liable for anything, but I'm a crook if I make a backup copy, and the moment I press CR and start the program, I've signed this statement?' (Replace 'Ashton- Tate' with the software house of your choice...) Looking forward to exchanging thoughts and information with you all! Tom.
mcb@LLL-TIS-B.ARPA (Michael C. Berch) (12/13/85)
I'm Michael Berch, a consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area.
My current project is with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
working on electronic mail, user interfaces, technical document
preparation, and internetworking. I'm also the Usenet news
administrator for styx, our VAX. In addition to the Usenet groups, we
subscribe to ARPA mailing lists including SECURITY, RISKS, HUMAN-NETS,
AI-LIST, ARMS-D, and POLI-SCI.
Previously I practiced law in San Jose and consulted for law firms on
office automation and computer-security related matters.
Michael C. Berch
ARPA: mcb@lll-tis-b.ARPA
UUCP: {akgua,allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,dual,ihnp4,sun}!idi!styx!mcbjody@RAND-UNIX.ARPA (Jody Paul) (12/14/85)
Hi all, here's my brief introduction...
I am consulting with RAND Corporation on various aspects of expert
system development and some of the test vehicles we have been using
are legal expert systems (e.g., a system to evaluate personal injury
product liability claims and propose case settlement values).
Prior to my association with RAND I had done some work on
artificial intelligence and legal reasoning, constructing models
and representations of the concepts and reasoning involved.
My basic interest is in modeling the cognitive behavior of
professionals in the legal domain, focusing on a methodology for
collecting their knowledge and incorporating it into a knowledge
base for an expert system.
--------
Jody Paul
jody@rand-unix
[(213) 393-0411 x7983]info-law@ucbvax.UUCP (12/14/85)
My name is Mike Wexler, and I am a computer programmer. I have a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Information Systems(try saying that in one breath :->). I have always been interested in the law, and have work-related reasons to become informed on computer law.
garry@LASSPVAX.TN.CORNELL.EDU (Garry Wiegand) (12/14/85)
[This is my second try at posting this; I think the first had no "To:" line. Lord knows where it went.] Hey, this is fun! I had no idea Trondheim was on Lake Erie... My name is Garry Wiegand. I'm a software wizard of sorts; I have the pleasure and misfortune right now of trying to build my own company. I'm finding out rapidly that being on the production side of the legal fence is at least as disagreeable as being on the consumption side. I have various crazy and idealist notions about the way my corner of the world ought to work, which I'm eager to put into practice. Also, I've already gotten legally burned once. Besides the computers, I've done graduate work in genetics (another hot topic, legally speaking) and took numerous constitutional law and history courses as an undergrad back at the good old U of Chicago. The "Supreme Court Roundup" is to me as the basketball scores are to my partner. My girlfriend is a contra-Establishment medical student, so I get to dabble in medical ethics journals for good measure. I live in a cabin out in the woods and try not to work too hard. Rarely succeeding at which pursuit, except in the summertime, when I do OK. Ithaca NY is a nice sorta joint; more restaurants, waterfalls, retired relaxed hippies, and rolling hills per capita than anyplace I've ever lived before. I came to Cornell because a university was the best way at the time to escape da corporate ship. Now I'm on the outside and I've got an augur in my hands. Time's up. NEXT!...
JBS%MIT-EECS@MIT-EDDIE.ARPA (Jeff Siegal) (12/15/85)
I am an undergraduate at MIT, planning to major in Computer Science, but I'm not sure about that yet. I am on the staff of the EE/CS Computer Center, where I read this list. At the EECS computer center, we run a DECSYSTEM-2065 under TOPS-20, and a couple of VAX's, one with running VMS and another, Unix. I have worked, part time, at a couple of software development sites doing such things as low-cost networking of DEC systems, etc. I have an interest in the law, but I'm not sure whether, or how much, I'll follow up on it. My interest in this list is to soak up as much information as I can, 'cause, after all, it never could hurt. As far as career interests go, I'm open to suggestions; Anything interesting come to mind? Jeff Siegal -------