This is a good argument to make about two years ago. As near as I can tell the issue is now settled. It is illegal to post an entire copywrited article on an independent internet site. Who knows, maybe the decision will be over turned, but I very much doubt it. Face it, there is a 1 million dollar judgement against free republic. Furthermore, the lawyers that represented Free Republic did a terrible job of representing Jim Robinson. A lawyer that was actually interested in his clients best interests would have recomended against being so hard nosed with the plantiffs, especially when his client does not have the money to pay the judgement. Furthermore, said counsel, if professional, WOULD NEVER EVER EVER EVER post messages to a public forum taunting his legal adversaries and basically saying "WE WILL BURY YOU!" Do you realize that Jim Rob's Legal Team was here doing that? I think that the Fair Usage doctrine was a legitimate question at the time. Jim chose an "in your face" approach of settling the issue and it turned out to be very very costly. Now the forum has been delivered an ultimatum "Pay up or else!" I think the issue could have been settled legally , by working with the plaintiffs throughout the proceedings at a small fraction of the $1 million dollars.
The defendant in the LAT/WP lawsuit is Jim Robinson and Free Republic LLC. Jim Robinson IS Free Republic, LLC. The thousands of users of this site weren't named. There is no Board of Directors or Corporate Officers to share the liability. This whole thing fell on Jim Robinson's shoulders. Does Jim run this forum for himself? Does he enjoy the continual sniping and character smears spread by whiny malcontents? Or the thousands in bandwidth costs? Or the countless hours he spends shepherding this group? I don't think so. So this site exists for US, for ME. And yet,
It exists to advance a political agenda ( Jim Robinson's)that I am not all that comfortable with anymore.
when the firing squad loaded up, they didn't sight in on me, or you, or Harry Callahan or Arator or some newbie who'd just gotten new batteries for his Timex Sinclair. They pasted the target over Jim's heart.
Yes, and by his choice. He did not consult me during his lawsuit. I do not feel compelled to pay for it.
I don't owe the LAT/WP a million bucks.
If you are willing to be a Super Patriot I am sure that JR will reluctantly transfer the debt into your name.
I still have a forum to use. I'm not caught up in an endless nightmare of appeals and motions and summary judgments.
Same Here.
But Jim is. Why?
Because of bad decisions that I do not feel compelled to pay for.
Those who pronounce on copyright law should learn to spell it.
Can I also assume that since you're posting here, you do feel compelled to lurk and post at times?
If you answer yes to the first two, matybe you could address this one.
Why do you think you are entitled to be a member of a club and not pay any dues?
Then don't. But then don't expect Jim or anyone else to tolerate your self-important gibberish. If the LAT/WP lawsuit went against FR because of bad legal counsel, then why do you insist on blaming Jim? And as for pushing Jim's personal political agenda, two things: This is now and has always been a political forum, and the owner is certainly entitled to his political views. If he can use that bully pulpit to push that agenda, that's free speech. That said, Jim posts very seldom, and generally only on issues dealing with the site itself. His political views are probably unknown to most of the posters here, although I think they can guess he is somewhat conservative.
Since you presume to know what his views are, enlighten us. How does Jim stand on [fill in issue here]?
You've cast aspersions on Jim and this site, and hinted at all sorts of improprieties and irregularities. But you don't have any of your own money at stake, nor any of your own time or effort invested. You sound like an outsider looking in, a forlorn keyboard commando.
Maybe when you get 50,000 registered users on your own website, you can stop by and give us the benefit of your vast experience, including how you have never been swayed to make a bad decision or to be so generous as to invite your enemies to take potshots at you.
If Jim Robinson wasn't so gracious, you wouldn't be here on this forum telling us how ungracious he is. I hope you appreciate the paradox. None dare call it hypocrisy.