Subject: Re: Anyone heard of UK proposal to licence BBSes?
Reply-To: nhardy@arkham.demon.co.uk
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Organization: Arkham BBS
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 23:46:02 +0000

Sorry for my last fouled attempt, this time I'm gonna get it right.

Hi all.

I'm the person who passed G the info about FAST & ELSPA on Sunday.
I'll summarise what has been going on in FidoNet about it all.

1) ELSPA EXPRESS newsletter publishes article stating that they wish to
   clamp down on bulletin boards because of the "vast damage done to the
   industry by probably the majority of bulletin boards."

(ELSPA = European Software Producers Association, a trade organisation,
apparently consisting of one person, Mr Roger Bennett, author of the
article)

2) Several BB sysops write to Mr Bennett putting their case, he replies
   simply that "we have no way of knowing that the majority of BBs are
   *NOT* involved in piracy". Lots of comments from sysops about
   "innocent until proven guilty etc".

3) John Loader, who works for FAST, appears on The Pig Pen BBS and tries
   to put FASTs side of the argument. He gets a lot of mail (well, what
   did he expect?) and some of it is rather forceful. He disappears
   again.

4) Much discussion in the Region 25 (UK Fido sysop-only) echo, lots
   said, little done. Group of people in the CyberSpace Echo decide
   that they had better start organising as the FAST/ELSPA thing is
   likely to be just the start.... Another group of people set up a
   "FAST&ELSPA" echo so that they can start a 'meaningful dialogue with
   FAST and ELSPA'. Roger Bennett has been reading that echo and
   possibly the CyberSpace one (apparently) but has decided to to talk
   to "more influential people".

5) BBC Reportage TV programme is aired with  main feature on "BBS Porn"
   including an interview with a convicted ex-sysop of a porn-carrying
   BBS. He says "There are things out there that will tear this country
   apart". The programme is completely biased, no other sysops are
   interviewed, no mention is made of the tiny proportion of BBs that
   actually carry anything offensive.

6) The group in CyberSpace Echo write to the Broadcasting Complaints
   Commission (who reply that they cannot do anything as it is outside
   their remit), John Birt (Head of the BBC), and the editor of the BBC
   Radio Times magazine.

7) "The Message" comms-fanzine front-pages on the BBS threat and a copy
   is sent to Roger Bennett at ELSPA and Bob Hay at FAST. Roger Bennett
   responds with another "Well, until it can be proved that not all BBs
   carry pirated software, we are going to press for legislation"
   letter.

8) Rumour heard today that a Private Members Bill regarding licencing
   bulletin boards came 5th in a poll, and thus may get discussed.
   Rumour is as yet unconfirmed.

9) FAST and ELSPA are both talking to the Press about their campaign
   against pirate BBs and porn BBs. We can only assume that they are
   talking about the porn BBs as a way to get people on their side, as
   they have nothing to do with software theft which is what FAST and
   ELSPA are paid to deal with.

Courses of action, so far suggested:

Go along with it, let them make their list and see what it does for them.

Write to everyone you can think of, MPs, magazine editors, software
houses, ELSPA members, FAST, ELSPA putting your views politely.

Work to form a group, possibly similar to the EFF, but for UK-based
people, with advice from the EFF where appropriate.

   Comments would be welcomed, and I can copy messages from here to the
   FidoNet CyberSpace echo and vice versa.

        Nigs

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