home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Hacker 2
/
HACKER2.mdf
/
cud
/
cud510i.txt
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1995-01-03
|
5KB
|
100 lines
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1993 18:09:59 GMT
From: ssteele@eff.org (Shari Steele)
Subject: File 9--Rusty and Edie's BBS raided by FBI
((Comp.org.eff.talk repost))
Hi everyone. I just received this wire from a Netfriend. I am so
disappointed -- Rusty and Edie's was one of the most popular BBSs in
the country. It was one of the few boards that turned a hefty profit
as a business. I'm disappointed that 1) the board may have been
engaging in illegal activities, 2) one of the BBS community's real
success stories has been seized (and may not have been such a success
story after all), and 3) the SPA is doing a lot of damage to the
reputation of BBSs through its coordinated witch hunts of late. I've
tried calling the folks at Rusty and Edie's all day to see if I can
get their side of the story, but the board line just rings and rings,
and the voice line has been constantly busy. I'll keep you posted as
I learn more. If anyone out there knows more, please pass that on to
me, too. Thanks. Shari
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Federation [sic] Bureau of
Investigation on Saturday, Jan. 30, 1993, raided "Rusty & Edie's," a
computer bulletin board located in Boardman, [sic -- it's really in
Youngstown, I think] Ohio, which has allegedly been illegally
distributing copyrighted software programs.
Seized in the raid on the Rusty & Edie's bulletin board were
computers, hard disk drives and telecommunications equipment, as well
as financial and subscriber records.
For the past several months, the Software Publishers Association
("SPA") has been working with the FBI in investigating the Rusty &
Edie's bulletin board, and as part of that investigation has
downloaded numerous copyrighted business and entertainment programs
from the board.
The SPA investigation was initiated following the receipt of
complaints from a number of SPA members that their software was being
illegally distributed on the Rusty & Edie's BBS.
The Rusty & Edie's bulletin board was one of the largest private
bulletin boards in the country. It had 124 nodes available to callers
and over 14,000 subscribers throughout the United States and several
foreign countries. To date, the board has logged in excess of 3.4
million phone calls, with new calls coming in at the rate of over
4,000 per day. It was established in 1987 and had expanded to include
over 19 gigabytes of storage housing over 100,000 files available to
subscribers for downloading. It had paid subscribers throughout the
United States and several foreign countries, including Canada,
Luxembourg, France, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden
and the United Kingdom.
A computer bulletin board allows personal computer users to access a
host computer by a modem-equipped telephone to exchange information,
including messages, files, and computer programs. The systems
operator (Sysop) is generally responsible for the operation of the
bulletin board and determines who is allowed to access the bulletin
board and under what conditions.
For a fee of $89.00 per year, subscribers to the Rusty & Edie's
bulletin board were given access to the board's contents including
many popular copyrighted business and entertainment packages.
Subscribers could "download" or receive these files for use on their
own computers without having to pay the copyrighted owner anything for
them.
"The SPA applauds the FBI's action today," said Ilene Rosenthal,
general counsel for the SPA. "This shows that the FBI recognizes the
harm that theft of intellectual property causes to one of the U.S.'s
most vibrant industries. It clearly demonstrates a trend that the
government understands the seriousness of software piracy." The SPA is
actively working with the FBI in the investigation of computer
bulletin boards, and similar raids on other boards are...(??). It
clearly demonstrates a trend that the government understands the
seriousness of software piracy." The SPA is actively working with the
FBI in the investigation expected shortly.
Whether it's copied from a program purchased at a neighborhood
computer store or downloaded from a bulletin board thousands of miles
away, pirated software adds to the cost of computing. According to
the SPA, in 1991, the software industry lost $1.2 billion in the U.S.
alone. Losses internationally are several billion dollars more. "Many
people may not realize that software pirates cause prices to be
higher, in part, to make up for publisher losses from piracy," says
Ken Wasch, executive director of the SPA. In addition, they ruin the
reputation of the hundreds of legitimate bulletin boards that serve an
important function for computer users."
The Software Publishers Association is the principal trade
association of the personal computer software industry. It's over
1,000 members represent the leading publishers in the business,
consumer and education software markets. The
SPA has offices in Washington DC, and Paris, France.
CONTACT: Software Publishers Association, Washington
Ilene Rosenthal, 202/452-1600 Ext. 318
Terri Childs, 202/452-1600 Ext. 320
Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253