Thank you for backing off Veronica.org

["Carl Miller" <systemdesign.chazz@com>]

Dear esteemed producers of Archie Comics,

    I learned of your announcement today that you will no longer pursue
ownership of the veronica.org domain, and was very pleased by it.  Thank
you for reconsidering the issues, benefits and pitfalls involved.  I am
sure that had you pursued this action, several months from now you would
be looking back on that as a bad decision.

    Though there was one part of the announcement that did not sit well
with me.  If I may quote from the CNN coverage available at

http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9901/20/veronicas.web2.ap/

> On Tuesday, a spokesman for the publisher said no legal action would be
> taken unless the web site contains offensive material.  "You can bet we
> will be watching," Grimes said.  "We are obligated to make sure it
> doesn't become a site that has obscenity."

No, Mr. Grimes, you have no such obligation.  As long as veronica.org
continues not to use any of your characters, pictures, stories, or other
intellectual property, you have no legal sway over anything they do.  And
that includes posting obscenity on their site.  Just because their domain
name includes the name of one of your main characters does not make any
implication whatsoever that they are connected to your business in any
way.  Anyone who thinks this is not well-versed in the way the Internet
works, and is just plain mistaken.  I can prove my point with one simple,
yet profound example.  If you would please, briefly load up the following
two pages in your web browser:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

http://www.whitehouse.com/

If our own government does not think there is ample legal justification
to do anything about the content of the whitehouse.com domain, what makes
you think you can influence the content of veronica.org?  If you can
provide a reasonable answer to that question, I would very much appreciate
hearing it.

    Again, thank you for reconsidering.  I assure you it was the right
decision on all fronts.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl N Miller                   (devastator.chaz@extern.ucsd.edu)
informed Internet user

The opinions expressed are my own only, and in no way reflect the official
business position of my employer.