🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1990Aug2.081407.10398@Solbourne.COM> imp@dancer.Solbourne.COM (Warner Losh) writes:
>butcher@g.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Lawrence Butcher) writes:
>
>>There is no written law which says that a person is allowed to write a
>>cross-compiler for Lotus Macros.
>
>In the abscense of a law, wouldn't the First Amendment have sway?
>After all, freedom of speech isn't limited to the spoken word, or to
>the English langauge.
>
>--
>Warner Losh		imp@Solbourne.COM

Actually free speech may be more limited than you think, expecially
over electronic media.  As I understand it communication over
electronic media may be regulated to a certain extent by the FCC under
extensions of the laws that were first applied to limited-capacity
networks and broadcast media (e.g. telephone and radio).  The impact
seems to be not so much that someone can censor your messages but that
your access to the networks is not a guaranteed right as your access to
a public sidewalk is (barring public curfew, etc.).

Consider how communication on the InterNet is supposed to be confined
to NON-COMMERCIAL messages (except of course in foo.forsale...).

In general electronic media (new forms and technologies for
television, computers and computer networks and by extension simple
disks) pose a new challenge to the American court system which has an
unfortunate tendency to try to pigeonhole new technologies into
"extensions" of older ones, whether or not it makes any sense.  Hence
the current problems with software copyright and patent -- too much
legal interpretation hinges on the LETTER of the law rather than on
the stated INTENT of the law.

But enough of my jabber.  Any more informed personages care to comment?

--Mike--

P.S. -- Does anyone in Congress know about LPF?  If not, *WHY* *NOT* ?

____Mike_Zraly____________________________________________________________
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|	obligatory disclaimer	: My views don't represent anyone but me |
|	obligatory quote	: Nothing takes the taste out of peanut  |
|				  butter quite like unrequited love.	 |
|							-- Charlie Brown |
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