From: Blanc Weber <blancw@microsoft.com> To: bdolan@well.sf.ca.us Date: Mon, 21 Mar 94 09:49:56 PST Subject: RE: How to control Internet? Buy it! Cc: cypherpunks@toad.com Status: R

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I'm having a nightmare about a Microsoft-like domination of global communications, complete with SPA police, etc. .................................

Unlike the government, Microsoft and McCaw Cellular both depend upon a customer-driven market for their acceptance. They must convince their customers that they are better than the competition in providing a similar service; they must adjust this service to the customer's requests & preferences or lose the account.

Blanc

That's the way it's supposed to be. What happens in practice - not specifically with Microsoft or McCaw [I don't want to hear from the platoons of lawyers. ;-)] - is that the big guys run down to Washington, pull a few strings, make a few contributions, and ask the government to use its resources and force to ensure that the corporate-desired outcome results. I remember when patents and copyrights were _privileges_ granted to encourage creativity and there was no such thing as "intellectual _property_". I remember a time when the idea of a royalty-tax on blank tapes to pay for presumed copyright infringement was regarded as crazy. bdolan@well.sf.ca.us