What’s at risk is the way that the Internet operates. What Scientology contends is that an Internet access provider that does not in any way control content has a duty to police alleged copyright violations anytime an aggrieved party tells them that their copyright has been violated. Clearly, if we have to do that, if we have to read each message that someone complains about and act as both jury and executioner, it will be a tremendous burden to the Internet in terms of costs and impeding free expression.
Predictor: Rice, Randolf
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 TV article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, reporter Elizabeth Wasserman describes the controversy over Internet service provider liability for communications posted by subscribers. Wasserman writes: ”There is little dispute that, in the absence of any new state or federal legislation, the same copyright protections that apply to printed material should be extended to the mix of newsgroups, chat rooms and forums created by users of the global network of computers. What isn’t clear is who should be the judge of when a copyright infringement has taken place, what constitutes a ‘fair use’ of copyrighted material for commentary or criticism, and whether on-line services should have some policing responsibility over their users. ‘What’s at risk is the way that the Internet operates,’ said Randolf Rice, of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro in San Jose, who is representing Netcom. ‘What Scientology contends is that an Internet access provider that does not in any way control content has a duty to police alleged copyright violations anytime an aggrieved party tells them that their copyright has been violated. Clearly, if we have to do that, if we have to read each message that someone complains about and act as both jury and executioner, it will be a tremendous burden to the Internet in terms of costs and impeding free expression.’ Such a ruling would have a chilling effect on on-line providers and would greatly reduce the number willing to take on the liability for policing subscribers’ use of copyrighted material, said Steele of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Controversial Issues
Subtopic: Defamation/Libel
Name of publication: New Orleans Times-Picayune
Title, headline, chapter name: Scientologists Trying to Silence Cyber Critics; Chilling Effect on Internet Feared
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
National; Page A26
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney