Derek Atkins <warlord@MIT.EDU> writes:
As a point of information, the operators of the "Amateur Action" bulletin board in Fremont, California are now sitting in prison because they e-mailed material fully legal in California but illegal (the court determined) in Memphis, Tennessee.
Actually, it wasn't because of what they emailed, but rather the owner/operators of AA BBS snail-mailed a video cassette that contained "pornographic" materials. Unfortunately it sets a bad precedent nonetheless.
I didn't follow this case that closely, but I'm quite certain that I read on the net that the prosecution's witnesses dialed AA BBS _by modem_ from TN (establishing jurisdiction) and downloaded the materials that were later found to be offensive to TN's community standards. Snail mail may have been also involved, but I definitely recall that letting someone in TN download the stuff via modem was in the indictment. IMO, this sets a precedent for the German incident. --- Dr. Dimitri Vulis Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps