dave@umcp-cs.UUCP (Dave Stoffel) (01/29/86)
I shad occasion to spend some time with my companies counsel
on the issue of whether usenet material is in the public domain.
He offered the opinion that it may well be -- probably is, but that
it certainly is *not* clear under the law and he felt he could make
reasonable arguments on either side. His argument is based on
whether the writer could reasonably contemplate the scope of the
distribution of his writings. Because of the way usenet works;
particularly in that the whole "world" can be on the distribution,
it may well be in the public domain. Seems to me that vigorously
propounded absolutes on this issue from laymen is injudicious.
Dave Stoffel