CompuServe Messages

Roger, At the main forum prompt, or any ! prompt, type GO RULES and you will see the user agreement. Also, my original signup package also contained a list of the rules (I got it about 6 years ago…so it was in force then) states: "The Customer will not reporduce, sell, publish, or in any manner commercially exploit any information obtained thru the Service or participate in or allow such reporduction, sale, publication or exploitation by any person." Now I would call that a specific prohibitation against downloading for COMMERCIAL use the files here, or allowing such use. Since the other commercial networks certainly use their uploads in a commercial manner (as does CIS) by downloading a database and re-uploading it to another service you certainly have violated that portion of the user agreement. As far as "contracting on the fly", the user agreement also states: "upon notice published over the Service, CompuServe may modify these terms, the Operating Rules or the Service….." and since they are in fact posted on the service, even if there is a change from the original agreement, you (the Customer) are bound by the rules. This type of notice of change is not at all unusual. Look at your credit card agreements (gasoline card, whatever). They all state that continued use of the credit card after notice of a change in the agreement constitutes acceptance of that agreement. Don