Re SGML URC spec comments

I think Ron answered Brian's questions about VRML the way I would.
I want to take issue again with Brian's suggestion that wrt global
annotations, 

>The right to
>attach these comments should *not* be controlled by the author

I've argued against this in the past on copyright grounds (and I
still feel that way).  However, Justice Souter's recent decision
in Hurley v. Irish-American GLB Group of Boston suggests that there
is a First Amendment angle:

"The fundamental rule of protection under the First Amendment ...
[is] that a speaker has the autonomy to choose the content of his
own message."

I maintain that the Hurley case is precisely parallel to what global
annos without author permission would amount to:  the I-A GLB G of
Boston wanted to comment on the parade without the permission of the
parade organizers (who won).  For excerpts, see NYT Tuesday, June 26
1995.

Regards,

-- 
Terry Allen  (terry@ora.com)   O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
Editor, Digital Media Group    101 Morris St.
			       Sebastopol, Calif., 95472

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Received on Sunday, 25 June 1995 16:32:25 UTC