Slashdot | The Return of Eric Weisstein's World Of Mathematics

measl at mfn.org measl at mfn.org
Tue Nov 6 17:50:19 PST 2001



On Tue, 6 Nov 2001, Karsten M. Self wrote:

> Many lawsuits are ultimately settled by strategic assessment:  does it
> make more sense to stand and fight, or to settle and avoid more legal
> expenses. 

This is the stance pushed by lawyer vermin, who are more interested in
their fees than in right and wrong.  To knuckle under to it is to act
without honor, and to lose - completely - any respect your peers may have
had for you.

If more people would see these things through as issues of right and
wrong, and then sue the opposing scumfuck lawyers on the other side, there
would be a LOT less of this.

> There's also the case of various organizations which have sued MAPS.

How the hell did we get into MAPS here?

> Simply doing so is largely a losing proposition.

Really?  Tell that to the recent victors.

>  There are effectively
> two MAPS blacklists:  one you can get yourself off of by correcting a
> situation, and one you'll never get off of by virtue of having reached a
> "settlement" with the company.  named.conf files in domains I control
> have authoritative entries for 247media.com, blackice.com, exactis.com,
> experian.com, harrisinteractive.com, and liveprayer.com.  These are
> hardcoded in countless systems, not maintained by MAPS and other
> RBLs, and they're not negotiable.

Interesting.  My named.confs are authoritative for MAPS and it's ilk.
 
> The CRC / Information Holdings "victory" is likely to have two lasting
> impacts:
> 
>   - Other authors of useful online scientific sites are going to be far
>     less likely to enter into agreements with the company, and if they
>     do so, under terms other than the contract Eric initially signed.

They should refuse to have anything to do with this company -period.

>   - The general press for scientific authors (particularly of
>     peer-reviewed journal articles) to find terms other than permanent
>     assignment of all (or at least substantive) copyright will increase.

These are people who should have known better _already_.  What makes you
think they'll be any more serious about their due diligence in the future?
 
> I see this as a win battle / lose war scenario.

For which side?

> I also see a potential third scenario.  The MathWorld archive is largely
> notable for two characteristics:
> 
>   - It's associated with Eric Weisstein, and benefits greatly from his
>     stewardship.

Not any more...

>   - Its true strength comes form the guided contributions of many
>     individuals to the site.  It's not a product, it's a process.

*Now*, it's a product.

> One alternative may be for Eric to continue maintenance of existing
> content on the MathWorld site, but to create a new site, independent in
> name from MathWorld, to which user contributions are made.  Whether or
> not this is possible depends heavily on the specifics of the CRC
> settlement.  

Assuming for a second that it _is_ possible, what makes you think this
pussy wouldn't knuckle under the next time CRC came knocking?

> My feeling is that CRC/IH have slain their golden goose in
> this case.

Not at all: the more copies they _don't_ sell, the more this idjit will
contribute to them in cash!  He has insured that they will *always* make
money on this, even if they execute their own project - on purpose!

> Peace.

Peace my ass.  To put it in May-Speak, these assholes have most definitely
earned killing, along with those insects they refer to as "lawyers".

-- 
Yours, 
J.A. Terranson
sysadmin at mfn.org

If Governments really want us to behave like civilized human beings, they
should give serious consideration towards setting a better example:
Ruling by force, rather than consensus; the unrestrained application of
unjust laws (which the victim-populations were never allowed input on in
the first place); the State policy of justice only for the rich and 
elected; the intentional abuse and occassionally destruction of entire
populations merely to distract an already apathetic and numb electorate...
This type of demogoguery must surely wipe out the fascist United States
as surely as it wiped out the fascist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The views expressed here are mine, and NOT those of my employers,
associates, or others.  Besides, if it *were* the opinion of all of
those people, I doubt there would be a problem to bitch about in the
first place...
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