The Shetland Copyright Battle
The following document was provided to FACTNet on 21Jan97 by the Shetland Times, saying they had published it as a public notice and that there have been no subsequent statements. - FACTNet
THE SHETLAND TIMES Friday 6th December 1996
Internet dispute: Publisher's statement on the phoney war
Following requests for comments on the interim interdict against Shetland News, Robert Wishart, managing director of The Shetland Times Ltd, said today (5th December) that he regretted that court action had been necessary.
"We asked Shetland News to stop using our copyright material on their news service but they refused. We were clearly left with no alternative but to resort to legal channels. We regret this, but the terms of their reply left no room for discussion. "Recent comments on the implications for the future of the internet have been grossly overstated in the increasingly hysterical and cynical 'Press Releases' put out by Shetland News. We have no intention or desire to restrict 'free access' to material published on the internet. Both Shetland News and Shetland Times copy remains available to anyone who wants it. The action does not restrict the legitimate use of the internet such as viewing web pages, linking sites, or any other "normal" internet activity. "Our action is solely to protect our company and its employees from a parasitic activity which, allowed to run unchecked, would make it impossible for publishers to reap the rewards of their efforts and destroy the principle of copyright on any material published on the internet. "I understand that the National Union of Journalists supports this unprofessional behaviour and deplore the union's involvement in an argument between two commercial organisations. This is totally at odds with the interests of NUJ members at The Shetland Times."
c The Shetland Times Ltd, 1996.
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