Copyright
Betty,
Not likely. Anything that is here and copyrighted would be removed
immediately if asked by the copyright holder. According the the service
agreement it is upon the uploader's shoulders to make the copyright
determination. Copyrighted material is allowed on CIS with the explicit
permission of the copyright holder. There is no way the sysops can validate
everything.
Most of the images, digitized sounds, and music data is copyrighted, but
falls under 'fair use'. IF CompuServe, or any other network were to have a
surcharge for downloads, then a case could be made for fees due to ASCAP,
SEACAP, BMI, whomever. There is no charge for downloads other than normal
connect time. There is no 'profit' made. The charges would still be billable
at the same rate if you just sat looking at the Forum ! prompt for several
minutes.