To:        stevecase@aol.com

From:      supremelaw@altavista.net

Subject:   CONFIDENTIAL COPYRIGHT MATTER

CC:        psyberman@aol.com

 

           FINAL BONA FIDE OFFER IN COMPROMISE

 

TO:        Mr. Steve Case

           Chairman and CEO

           email:  <stevecase@aol.com>

 

           Mr. Lennert Leader

           CFO & Treasurer

           email:  (unknown)

 

           America Online, Inc.

           22000 AOL Way

           Dulles 20166/tdc

           COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

 

FROM:      Paul Andrew Mitchell, B.A., M.S., Author,

           Counselor at Law, Federal Witness, and

           Private Attorney General

 

DATE:      June 8, 1998

 

RE:        Ongoing Copyright Violations of Rights to

           "The Federal Zone," electronic 4th edition

 

 

Dear Mr. Case et al.:

 

After several written offers to your company, notifying

you of the on-going violation of My copyrights in the

electronic fourth (4th) edition of "The Federal Zone:

Cracking the Code of Internal Revenue," we take very

seriously your corporation's (AOL's) failure to remove

this stolen publication from all AOL file servers.

See Internet URL: http://www.deoxy.org/fz in chief

(hereinafter "The Federal Zone").

 

In order to avoid entirely the additional liabilities

which AOL will incur from adverse jury verdict(s),

and the bad publicity resulting therefrom, we now make

you our final, bona fide offer in compromise in this

matter.  This offer is to be construed also as a

bona fide offer to hold AOL, and all of its officers

and employees, harmless.

 

In return for the right to invoice electronically all

AOL subscribers (both past and present) who have ever

downloaded any part of "The Federal Zone" from the

offending website on AOL's file servers, which right

we offer to assign to AOL in a properly executed

settlement contract, we will accept the certain sum

of $2.5 million ($2,500,000.00) U.S. dollars, drawn

on your bank in ten (10) equal and separate certified

bank checks or mutually authorized wire transfers,

all paid in advance of the electronic invoicing

described herein.

 

We estimate that approximately 500,000 unauthorized

"bootleg" copies have been disseminated throughout the

Internet because of the offending website on AOL's

file servers, and because of AOL's refusal to remove

the stolen publication, after receiving lawful notice

of the copyright violation.  At the standard fee of

$25.00 per copy (see Preface), this agreement would

gross AOL $12,500,000.00, and net a one-time profit to

AOL of $10,000,000.00 even, exclusive of your costs

to program and execute a one-time electronic billing.

 

We think this solution is the most equitable for all

concerned.  The AOL subscribers were provided with

advance notice of the $25.00 fee, in the Preface

to "The Federal Zone."  The stolen copy now residing

on AOL's file servers does not preserve the original

character stream of the authorized electronic fourth

edition, and no prior permission from the author

was ever obtained to make the changes extant in that

stolen copy now found at http://www.deoxy.org/, nor

to post same at said Internet URL.

 

The names, addresses, and other account information of

all AOL subscribers who obtained illegal copies of

"The Federal Zone" are all proprietary to AOL.  We

emphatically will NOT consent to assuming the burden

of invoicing, and initiating collection action(s)

against, these very same subscribes, because an

electronic debit against their credit card accounts

is much more cost-effective, and just, for all

concerned.

 

My "exclusive Right" [sic] in this authoritative and

well recognized work is beyond question, and it is

also a fundamental Right which is guaranteed by the

Constitution for the United States of America,

as lawfully amended.  See Article I, Section 8,

Clause 8 in same.  See also 18 U.S.C. 241 and 242,

in pari materia.

 

Please respond in writing no later than 5:00 p.m.

MDT on Thursday, June 18, 1998 (ten days hence).

We will regard any continuation of your silence,

and/or your continued refusal to remove "The Federal

Zone" from your file servers, as further intentional

and premeditated violations of My stated copyrights

in this written work.

 

Thank you very much for your serious consideration

of this bona fide offer in compromise.

 

 

Sincerely yours,

 

/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell

 

Paul Andrew Mitchell, B.A., M.S.

Author (under a pen name), Counselor at Law,

Federal Witness, and Private Attorney General

 

mailing location:

 

Supreme Law Firm

c/o general delivery at:

2509 North Campbell Avenue, Suite 1776

Tucson 85719/tdc

ARIZONA STATE

 

copies:  private counsel

         litigation files (pending)

         email:  <psyberman@aol.com>

 

 

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