Subject: free access to court documents
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 21:44:31 -0400
From: JC <w2jc@interactive.net>
Organization:.......
To: citation@teo.uscourts.gov

     My response to you on the question of free access to court 
documents vs. West Co.'s copyrighted scheme follows.

     With our form of government, dependent on the full and complete 
knowledge of facts and government activities by the electorate, no 
scheme should be used which prevents the average citizen easy access 
to public (including court) documents.

     No one company should control any system or scheme used by 
government agencies. Not only is it government support of a 
monopoly, but it puts the government agencies in a very vulnerable 
position should that company fold, or decide it wants to extort 
higher income from the government agencies (taxpayers).

     Now that citizens have such easy access to data communications, 
via internet etc, there should be No impediment to any citizen 
obtaining any non-classified piece of information from ANY U.S. 
government agency or bureau. This is especially true for the legal 
and court system -- since every citizen is by default expected to 
"know" and obey all current laws and legal interpretations. (This in 
itself has become almost a complete impossibility, but at least a 
citizen concerned about his specific actions should be able to obtain 
all relevent court and public documents to determine what his course 
of action should be).

     West Co. has for too long held the entire USofA legal system in 
its grasp. It is now time for our government to find a way to provide 
quick, timely and accurate access to court, legal and other public 
information to the citizens without the impediment of copyright 
claims on public information.

     Thank you for reading and considering my input.

          James E. Cooper
          Paramus, NJ USA.

          w2jc@interactive.net