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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!ihdev!rjv
From: rjv@ihdev.UUCP (ron vaughn)
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: dave barry (no joke in this article)
Message-ID: <320@ihdev.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 22-Sep-85 13:34:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihdev.320
Posted: Sun Sep 22 13:34:24 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 23-Sep-85 02:43:28 EDT
Reply-To: rjv@ihdev.UUCP (R. J. Vaughn)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 64
Keywords: barry, copyright, egg-foo-yung, OU#1


don't jump on my case about this not being in net.jokes.d.  this
is about the dave barry copyright issue that was raised a while
back.  since a good number of people don't read net.jokes.d, i thought
i'd break the rules and post this here.  there is no joke in this article.

here's what happened:  a few kind netters were typing in dave barry's
syndicated column and posting it to net.jokes.  a few other netters got
there panties in a wad because the copyright laws were being broken.
they were HOT!  there were RIGHT!  there were going to write dave's
miami paper and tell on us!

today in the chicago trib(sunday section) is dave barry's column,
AND a big article on barry himself.  let me quote the opening paragraph.

"Every week, an informed cadre of east coast residents who, the poor
slobs, do not live near a newspaper that carries syndicated humor 
columnist dave barry, logs onto a private computer bulletin board
to read barry's latest assault on journalistic conventions."

the article then goes on to talk about what kind of column barry writes.
then it continues:

"Those who read and contribute to the boston-area bulletin board [there are
at least three others nationwide, each associated with large high-tech
companies] send in analyses and critiques of these type of observations
as well as information on where he has published lately.../*other things
they do deleted -rjv */...and the poop on petition and letter-writing
campaigns organized to get the boston globe to print his column regularly
and make unnecessary this underground nonsense."

/* underground nonsense, that's what OUR netters were doing when they
   were posting barry's articles to our net.  - rjv
   the article's next paragraph:
 */

"Barry himself is flattered but keeps out of the fray.  He's unconcerned
that his column is not published by boston, new york, washington..."


ARE YOU GUYS LISTENING????  barry knows all about posting his articles 
to networks.  he is FLATTERED!!  he doesn't care.  yes, it is a violation
of copyright laws, but it's like this:  jim walks onto dave's lawn.  fred
says "say, you are trespassing, *I* say you must stop."  and then
dave steps out of his house and says "shut up fred, i don't care if
jim walks on my lawn.  a lot of people walk on my lawn, and i think
it's fine."

dave knows, his miami paper knows, everyone knows.  and they don't care
in the least.  unlike you self proclaimed defenders of copyrights,
they realize all the computer networks with his column combined don't
amount to piddly-squat -- a few hundred, a few thousand readers maybe.
across the nation  there are probably a few hundred(thousand) people
each week who copy barry's article and post it at work, on their frig,
pass it to a friend.  the papers/barry don't care.  the copiers are just 
making barry more well known.  the papers/barry realize people don't
stop buying papers just because they see barry's column.  too bad some
of you  netters can't wake up and smell the coffee.

so if someone want so to posts barry's articles, FINE, DO IT.  as
dave would say, "i'm flattered."


	ron vaughn	...!ihnp4!ihdev!rjv