Proposition One Committee
PO Box 27217
Washington, DC 20038
September 9, 1999
SunSource
501 North Calvert Street
Baltimore, MD 21278
ATT. Robin L. Milligan
SunSource Inside Sales Manager
Re: Your letter dated August 31, 1999
Dear Ms. Milligan,
As an addendum to my letter
of yesterday, I'd like to mention a few other points which
have occurred to me since my last letter.
Our web site is a compilation of personal photographs and
related news articles about First Amendment activities outside
the White House. We have personally witnessed or been the subject
of all of the stories. We include articles by reporters from the
Baltimore Sun because we were specifically named or involved in
the events described. We have never asked for or been offered
any money for providing an archive of this little-explored, but
historically significant, subject.
Incidentally, do you have releases from us for use of the
information contained in the articles you're complaining about?
We think it highly unlikely that you can earn any income
from the articles at issue. See, 17 USC 107(4).
Although we believe we would win any litigation, we don't
need the hassle of legal action any more than you do.
Therefore, we offer an alternative to your lawyers' outrageous
demand for $100 per article per year: We'll be glad to include
a link to your archived articles, at no charge. If you don't have
the articles archived, perhaps you would like to pay us $100 per
article per year for providing the service? Of course, if you
want to pay us for making your articles available, it would be
a purely voluntary donation, since we don't charge anybody for
anything, as a matter of principle.
I trust the Baltimore Sun has more sense than to pursue
this any further.
Sincerely,
W. Thomas