Author: at ~Internet Date: 3/12/97 09:59 AM Priority: Normal BCC: CITATION at AO-OCPPO TO: citation@ao.uscourts.gov at ~Internet Subject: Email Comments on Public Domain Citations to Judicial Confer This is to comment upon allowing public domain citation. I believe it is necessary for the following reasons: 1. Allowing a private entity like (West Publishing) to "own" citations to government documents has created a monster with little public control. This is an arrogant company whose sole responsibility is their own "bottom line". No one checks their prices. How do you suppose Lord Thompson was able to pay out 3.4 billion for the purchase of West, if he was not making obscene profits already. 2. The benefits to the public of having better access to legal information are enormous. In an age of cutbacks to free (for indigents., etc. ) state sponsored legal services, many citizens are forced to try to do their own legal research. 3. West's system of citation is not really "value-enhanced". If you can start to break West's monoply of this one item, then it may open a flood gate to other areas, and may again increase competition among legal publishers, and lower prices for consumers. 4. The law is often incomprehensible to the public. Having more information and better and cheaper access may help to educate them. 5. All courts should make all federal court opinions available on the Internet, with citations that will permit the public to uniquely identify and cite an opinion. 6. Since legal information raises more that the consumer price index and inflation I have to get by with less and less legal materials for this county law library. The county will not allocate any more funds for the law library and yet legal publication prices rise disportionately so I must constantly cut needed publications from my standard circulation list. More competition for legal information would help to keep prices in line. These opinions are my own. REPLY TO: The Federal Register Notice ______________________________ (Federal Register: February 21, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 35)] (Notices] [Page 8037-8038] JILL FINLEY HENDERSON TAYLOR COUNTY LAW LIBRARY 300 Oak St. Abilene, Tx. 79602 (T) 915-674-1395 (F) 915-674-1365