🚀 go-pugleaf

For those not aware, the Weekly Mail & Guardian is a South African based
newspaper that is distributed to paying subscribers via standard mail or
electronic mail. Please send replies or advice to Bruce Cohen at address
cohen@wmail.misanet.org. Thank you.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date:    Tue, 13 Sep 1994 07:51:56 +0000
From:    Bruce Cohen <cohen@WMAIL.MISANET.ORG>
Subject: Pirates -- or are they?

I posted a message yesterday about how a US company has been distributing
articles from our newspaper without permission.

Here is further info on IIRC from a colleage in Cambodia who first alerted
us. Any ideas on how to stop them?

This is further info I have recieved from Bernie Krisher/Cambodia Daily on
the activities of IIRC:

The International Intelligence Report is issued by a data base vendor
called Comtex Scientific Co. in Virginia.

They are supplying Nexis, Compserve (go newsgrid) and Newsnet.

The data bases collect about $15 per article (for 1,000 words) when it is
retrieved online. IIRC has been in operation for nearly two years and all
of the organizations, which also include Le Monde, Frankfurter Algemeine
Zeitung, El Pais, La Prensa, Paris Match, etc., appear not to have known
of it until I apprised them.

The President of COMTEX is Charles W. Terry. The address of COMTEX is:
4900 Seminary Road, Suite 800, Alexandria, VA 22311, FAX: 1-703-824-8750,
PHONE: 703-820-2000.

I had a one-time phone conversation with Mr. Terry who maintained their
activities were legal.  He has declined to take any more calls from me,
implying I might be subject to a harassment suit if I contacted him
further.

       The Publisher's Product Statement (obtained through Newsnet) reads:

       "... INTELLIGENCE REPORT monitors dozens of sources on a daily
basis from all countries... Sources include radio and TV broadcasts as
well as print media such as newspapers and business magazines. All
information is translated into English."

       Compuserve, Newsnet and Mead all maintained the legality of their
activity, placing any legal responsibility on COMTEX which they claim
assures there are no copyright violations.  They acknowledged no moral
issue in freely lifting material created by someone else without
permission.