IP: more on Justice Department crackdown on web site content

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

The last sentence could be a killer for all Educational and people who have federal contracts if such clauses are 
included. Off shore it all goes. 


> Date: Sat, 01 May 1999 10:31:21 -0400
> From: "David G. Hawkins" <dahawk () iamdigex net>
> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (Win95; U)
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> CC: ip-sub-1 () admin listbox com
> Subject: Re: IP: DO READ!!!!   Justice Department crackdown on web site content
>
> This post may cause some to infer that if they do any business with the government, that all of their web pages must 
> conform to the access codes or they will be subject to suit.  As I read Section 508 (available at the freedomforum 
> link), the access mandate will apply to government agencies and to electronic products procured by government agencies 
> after the effective date of the requirements.  Thus, a private group that receives a contract or grant from a 
> government agency to develop web material would be required to comply with "access-friendly" acquisition and 
> procurement rules that agencies are supposed to publish.  This obligation would not apply to other web materials 
> prepared by the private group unless the government agency adopted a position that barred contracts and grants with a 
> group that failed to conform all of its web materials to access-friendly standards (a conceivable but, I think, 
> unlikely position). 
> As for lawsuits, the section provides that federal agencies may be sued but does not speak to private group liability 
> (of course a private group would be required to comply with applicable contract and grant provisions).