TAP/WEST others debate "Who Owns Law"

[James Love <love@tap.org>]

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TAP-INFO - An Internet newsletter available from listproc@tap.org
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TAXPAYER ASSETS PROJECT - INFORMATION POLICY NOTE
Crown Jewels Campaign - Legal Information
March 23, 1995

              Three "Who Owns the Law" debates.

In the next eight days there will be two "Who Owns the Law"
debates involving West Publishing, TAP and others.  Another
debate is scheduled for the annual meeting of the American
Association of Law Libraries in Pittsburgh in July.  Vance
Opperman, the President of West Publishing, was asked to
participate in each of the debates, but declined.  Here are the
names of the participants. 

On Friday, March 24, 1995, the Library of Congress will host a
panel on "Who Owns the Law" as part of its annual Federal Library
and Information Center Committee (FLICC) "Forum on Federal
Information Policy."  The moderator will be Robert Oakley from
the American Association of Law Libraries.  The panel members
will be William Lindberg from West Publishing, Paul Friedman from
the Department of Justice and James Love from the Taxpayer Assets
Project.

On Friday, March 31, 1995, the Conference on Computers, Freedom
and Privacy, meeting in San Francisco, will host a panel, also
titled, "Who Owns the Law."  According to conference organizers,
West President Vance Opperman will be in San Francisco the day of
the debate, but will not participate.  The CFP-95 panel will be
moderated by Glenn Tenney from Fantasia Systems.  The panelists
will be Professor Robert Berring from the Boalt Hall Law School
at the University of California at Berkeley, who has been an
expert witness and consultant for West Publishing,  Former
Congressman Gerry Sikorski, who is a senior partner in Schatz,
Paquin, Lockridge, Grindal & Holstein, and a lobbyist for West
Publishing, John Lederer from the Wisconsin State Bar
Association, and James Love from the Taxpayer Assets Project. 
The TAP background paper for this debate, titled "Four Years of
Struggles to Free the Law," will be posted to tap-info as a
separate message.

On July 17, 1995, at its annual meeting in Pittsburgh, the
American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) will host a panel on
"Who Owns the Law (and other copyright issues): a debate."  The
moderator will be Professor James Heller from the College of
William and Mary, Mashsall-Wythe School of Law.  The panel
members will be James Schatz, who is Senior Partner in Schatz,
Paquin, Lockridge, Grindal & Holstein, a firm representing West
Publishing in a wide range of matters, Professor Lolly Gasaway
from the University of North Carolina Law School, Professor
Trotter Hardy from  the College of William and Mary, Mashsall-
Wythe School of Law, and James Love from the Taxpayer Assets
Project.

      james love (love@tap.org; 202/387-8030)
      TAP

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